


Come With Us (And Things Will Never be the Same but the Same is Boring)

by victoriousscarf



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Multi, Smooshing Film and book canon to suit author's preferences/needs, Until after the Battle of Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-14
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-01-15 16:42:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 16
Words: 41,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1311865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/victoriousscarf/pseuds/victoriousscarf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neville looked between them again. “Whatever joke you think you’re playing, it’s really not funny.”</p><p>The twins looked at each other and back to him. “We’re not joking,” they protested in unison.</p><p>“We’re really not,” George insisted.</p><p>“We really would like to date you,” Fred finished.</p><p>(It takes Fred and George a while to notice Neville behind his toad and his own insecurities, at least as anything more than an abstract idea. To be exact, five years and some months after learning his name. And the twins have never been good at not sharing the most important things. Neville, meanwhile, is wondering if this is what being run over by a truck feels like.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. More of a proposition really

The twins had more or less known who Neville Longbottom was even before he arrived at school. The Longbottoms weren’t exactly common dinner guests at the Burrow, but there were not exactly an over abundance of pure blood families in England anymore.

And the Longbottoms and Weasleys were both considered the worst kind of blood traitor, which formed a sort of vague bond of affection whenever the Weasleys would hear about the Longbottoms.

Which did not mean they were ever particularly impressed when they first met Neville. He floated around on the edge of their consciousness at school, a good guinea pig for their pranks until his sad face got to be just too much for even Fred and George to handle. He had brief moments of fame, such as when he won the house cup at the end of his first year, and when he put a Snape Boggart in his gran’s clothing. That at least, was something the twins could support.

But then he asked Ginny to the Yule Ball and Fred and George found themselves scrutinizing him. She was their littlest sibling, their only sister, and anyone who dared to take her out anywhere deserved closer examination, especially on the date in question itself.

“He’s quite the gentleman,” George said, leaning over Fred’s shoulder as they watched the pair waltz around the room. They vaguely thought he had been the only boy to volunteer for the dance lessons when such lessons were first suggested. They had been twisting their hips and laughing in the corner though, and could not quite remember if it had been Neville or one of the other younger students.

“Ginny would eat a gentleman alive,” Fred protested. But they both paused to watch, and somehow kept watching as the night wore on. Ron had retreated long ago, yelling at Hermione up the stairs as she threw her hands up, and few people remained on the dance floor. But Neville and Ginny continued slowly twirling around and the twins could not deny enjoying the dances, still energetically making circles around the room. If they were spying, that was no one’s business but their own.

-0-

Fred and George never really stopped watching after that, once he caught their attention. They watched Neville as he fled Snape in the hallways, ran into him between classes and called him by name just to see the way his eyes widened and the compulsive way he swallowed.

“Do you think he always assumes the worst is going to happen to him?” George asked one night in the library and Fred looked up over his history of magic essay, quill scratched against the parchment as he tried to milk his conclusion for something intelligent that took a lot of words to say.

“Yes,” he agreed and both turned to where Neville was putting books away with Hermione, following George’s gaze. “The worst of all possible outcomes.”

As one they went back to their work.

Then Dumbledore’s Army started meeting and they both quietly scoffed at Neville’s valiant attempts at magic, almost always in vain. Eventually, they stopped trying out new hexes or sweets on him, because tricking him into being a guinea pig was no longer fun. He started looking like he expected the candy to bite him whenever any was put into his hands, no matter who put it there.

George said something about his eyes and Fred just nodded.

 Then came the Christmas season, with their father in the hospital, and a horrible night spent at Saint Mugos with their shoulders pressed together to keep each other up as they waited to hear what would happen. Arthur Weasley survived and they visited as often as they could. It drove their mother wild, the way they explored nooks and crannies where ever they went, and though they spent hours with their father, they had a large family who all wanted their own turn, let alone the nurses and healers.

On Christmas, they had followed Bill to the tea room, only to turn around as soon as they had the hot drink in hand and explore. They turned a corner down another hallway and stopped to see Neville sitting on a bench, head pressed back against the wall and his eyes closed. For a moment, the twins looked at him before each other.

“Hello, Neville,” Fred said, stepping forward and Neville jumped, looking around before finally turning toward them, his eyes wide.

“What are you doing here?” he asked and they looked at each other and back to him as he stammered. “I mean, that’s not what I meant, of course your father,” he floundered.

George reached out, patting him on the shoulder. “It’s alright, mate.”

“But what are you doing here?” Fred followed and Neville flushed.

Neville opened his mouth and closed it, his shoulders hunching slightly. He looked more afraid then shamed. “My parents,” he said and the twins stilled, watching him with their complete attention.

“Are they here?” Fred asked after a beat and Neville’s mouth twisted.

“They live here,” he said and Fred and George looked at each other and back toward him, the motion so quick that a blink would have missed it. “They…” he stopped at the twin’s horrified expressions and flushed. “I’ll see you at school,” he said very quickly and retreated before they could ask anything. He was even more tense than usual and before he reached the end of the hall, an elderly woman, who wore a green dress and a vulture hat, met him, talking cheerfully as he just looked smaller and smaller. Once he shot a look over his shoulder, and flushed to see them still standing there.

“George,” Fred started.

“Already ahead of you,” George said and when their path took them back to their mother, they sat beside her in the hallway while Ginny regaled their father with stories. “Say, mum, you remember the Longbottoms, don’t you?”

“Of course I do,” Molly said and looked at them in sudden suspicion as George handed her the cup of tea he had not drunken from.

“It’s just, we ran into Neville,” Fred said. “And we were wondering…”

“If you are, you might ask him,” Molly said.

They glanced at each other and neither dared to say that when they had the boy had all but fled because then their mother would never answer. “Well, it just seems like a hard question, you know?” George offered. “To ask someone to their face.”

Molly looked between them, clearly surprised at what seemed like such a sensitive idea coming from her sons. She took a steadying breath before deciding that it could not possibly do harm. “Frank and Alice were part of the Order, back in the day. They were tortured by a death eater until they both went mad, when Neville was still a baby. Your father and I visit them too, from time to time, many of the old Order does. But they don’t recognize us, and they’ve never recognized Neville.”

For a long moment neither Fred nor George moved.

Their mother looked between them in obvious concern. “Boys?” Moving as one, they both kissed her cheek and were up and moving in the next instant, claiming something about getting food, despite having just come from the cafeteria. Fred left his cup of tea for Ginny.

That night they sat on Fred’s bed, legs pressed together. Their father still lived and was getting better each day and their mother fussed over the entire family. “I can’t imagine,” George said finally and Fred nodded.

“It’s no wonder he doesn’t talk about it,” Fred said and they pressed closer.

When classes started up again, and they met in the room of requirements, they hesitated, circling around and watching Neville.  

They watched Neville struggle through the spells, improving at a pace that was a snail’s compared to many of the other students. Yet he improved. The more they listened, the more they understood Neville was no idiot. He had a heart and he knew plants—which was surprisingly useful they discovered—better than anyone’s business. And he was tenacious.

“Say, you hold your arm like this,” Fred said, approaching behind Neville one day and lifting his arm to the proper height, watching Neville startle and look back at him.

“What?”

“And the wrist makes this motion,” George added, demonstrating. They stood next to Neville, poking and prodding him into the right position until he could finally do the spell. “See?” George said. “It wasn’t so hard.”

Neville looked over his shoulder, disbelieving. “I hear we’ll be working on patronus charms next week,” Fred cut him off before he could say anything. “Try to think of happy thoughts between now and then.”

Then one day Fred looked over and realized that George was watching Neville with another expression, something he wasn’t sure he saw on his twin’s face very often. It was not completely undisguised want, it was still half formed and hidden, but Fred could see it.

And there was an answering coil of heat in his own gaze the more he thought about it, watching Neville attempt to create a puff of silvery mist. When he looked up, George was watching him and Fred only grinned.

Because they always perfectly understood each other.  

“Neville,” Fred called as he started to leave, the rest of the room emptying. Due to some difficulties with Cho, Harry had long since fled even though he was usually one of the last to leave. The younger student started, turning back around.

“Yeah?” he asked, hitching his school bag higher on his shoulder as he watched them, wariness evident.

They stopped as one a foot away. “Why do you act so scared?” Fred asked and Neville’s eyes flashed but he did not protest the words. “We’re not going to bite you.”

“I’m not—” Neville started and stopped. “Can I help you with something?”

The twins looked at each other and back to Neville. “We had a bit of a question is all,” Fred said.

“More or less,” George continued easily. “More of a proposition really.”

Neville’s brow quirked up and he tried to keep his face as composed as possible. “A proposition,” he managed, a statement more than a question. “I’m sorry, but I really can’t test anymo—”

“Naw, that wasn’t it,” Fred said, waving a hand to dismiss the very idea. “And that is not terribly kind of you to think either.” He breezed past the disbelieving look Neville gave him.

“You’ll have to excuse me then,” Neville said and looked tense. “Look, if this is about Christmas—”

“No,” George intercut quickly. “I mean, if you want someone to talk to,” he said and Neville flushed. “We… we can.”

“Did Ron tell you?” Neville asked suddenly and the twins stopped, deciding as one to thrash their younger brother. “About, about my parents, I mean.”

“No,” Fred said and paused, glancing at George and they were both uncomfortable. “But we asked mum. She knew them, before,” he said and Neville tensed, obviously trying to decide if he was angry or just sad.

He dropped his eyes, holding onto the straps of his bag and shuffling his feet. “I guess,” he started. “It’s not the worst thing, I mean, for people to know about. I just—”

Fred and George shared a half panicked look. “That’s not actually what we wanted to talk about,” George said. “Honest. If you need to, alright.” This was not how this conversation was meant to go. “Hey,” he said, reaching forward and knocking his knuckles against the bottom of Neville’s chin, making his eyes fly up at the contact. “You’re doing well.”

“What?” Neville asked and Fred leaned against George’s shoulder.

“With the spells,” he said. “You’re doing great.”

“I can’t even make a patronus,” Neville said, glancing between the two of them in disbelief. “I can barely keep up with anyone what are you talking about?”

“Yeah, but you’re improving,” Fred said, grinning at him over George’s shoulder.

“And that means you’re doing great,” George said and Neville paused, looking between the pair of them. He opened his mouth, clearly couldn’t settle on what to say, and closed it again.

“If you’ll excuse me,” he managed and side stepped around them, heading quickly for the door. Fred and George stared at each other in some surprise.

“That got away from us, George,” Fred said.

“That it did, Fred,” George agreed and then they were moving after Neville again. They caught up just before the hallway turned into a staircase. They grabbed Neville’s arms and pulled him back into a corner, even as he yelped.

When they let him go, he shook his shoulders, glancing between the twins. “What?”

“We really did want to ask you something,” George said.

Before Neville could fluster or protest again, Fred cut in. “Would you like to go out with us?”

There was a moment of complete silence, and they could hear the staircases grinding above them as they moved, paintings calling out jokes across the hallway to each other. “What?” Neville managed, his eyes wide.

“Would you like to go out with us?” George repeated and Neville’s shocked eyes moved over to him.

“You, you mean like for, for, drinks at the broomsticks or something?” Neville asked.

“Well,” Fred said after a beat. “That could be part of it.”

Neville looked between them again. “Whatever joke you think you’re playing, it’s really not funny.”

The twins looked at each other and back to him. “We’re not joking,” they protested in unison.

“We’re really not,” George insisted.

“We really would like to date you,” Fred finished.

Neville looked between them, both hands clutching the strap of his bag and the twins idly noted his breath seemed to be coming a bit short. “You keep saying we.”

“Well,” Fred said, leaning against the wall next to him, George mirroring the action. “We’ve come to a conclusion recently.”

“Right we have, Fred,” George picked up. “See, we’re not very good at, well, not sharing with each other.”

“Shared clothes, food, beds, what have you,” Fred said, waving a lazy hand. “It drove mum to distraction, it did.”

“And we’ve not really been able to sustain a relationship outside that,” George said, and Neville was still watching them, his back up against the wall and looking fairly disbelieving.

“So we thought maybe it was time to try sharing that too.”

“And maybe we could share you,” George said, eyes glittering.

“If you didn’t mind being shared,” Fred finished and they finally stopped long enough for Neville to draw a deep breath. 

“Why me?” he asked, after a long moment where he obviously tried to process what they were saying and they shifted a bit closer.

“Because,” they said together.

“There’s a trip to Hogsmeade next week,” George said.

“Come with us,” Fred added and they waited again.

Neville shifted his feet, turning his head before he finally gave a tiny shrug, looking resigned like he was still expecting it to turn out to be a joke. “Yeah, alright.”

-0-

There was still snow on the ground. At first they had walked with Harry, Ron, Hermione and Luna, before Fred and George squished Neville between them and veered off. “You were serious,” Neville said, sounding surprised as George pushed open the door to Honeydukes.

“Course we were,” Fred said and they spent the next ten minutes scrutinizing the store for the largest chocolate bar the pair of them  could find, occasionally asking Neville’s opinion, before tossing several sugar quills on top of the bar and anything else they could reach on the way up to the counter. As the three of them stepped out of the store they pressed the entire pile into Neville’s hands.

“That’s not—” Neville started.

“Necessary?” Fred asked.

“But we wanted to,” George said and grinned, because he could not remember the last time he had seen anyone actually give Neville candy, though it was common enough to see it being pilfered from him. “Though it comes with a price,” George added and Neville’s eyes flickered up.

“You have to guard it with your life for yourself,” Fred said, face serious.

For a moment Neville stared at him before grinning. “Well, I can try,” he said and looked at where the twins walked on either side of them. “All I really have to do is say they’re from you anyway and no one would dare touch them out of fear.”

Fred laughed as George tried to pull an offended face before giving in and laughing too. It felt like a long time since they had laughed. “Where do you want to go?” Fred asked, hesitating before letting one of his hands slip down, hidden more or less in the sleeves of their coats to hold Neville’s hand. He startled, looking up before carefully stashing the pile of sweets in his pockets and took George’s hand on the other side of him.

“Anywhere,” he said and they steered for the herbology shop, hoping it would please him.

However, he stammered his way through the shop, obviously thinking they were bored from the instant the three of them stepped inside and rushing through looking around, despite the fact that both Fred and George assured him they were fine, there was even a flesh eating plant on the counter.

When they left, far sooner than the twins had expected, they stood for a moment in front of the door. “You two don’t have to,” Neville started.

“The bookshop,” George declared, scooping one of Neville’s arms up and moving. “Unless you’re the one who’s bored.”

“No,” Neville said, and Fred carried the small parcel of seeds he had bought, along with several herb samples.

“Good,” Fred said and this time the twins made a production of lingering, pointing out new books to each other and Neville every time a title caught one of their eyes.

“I didn’t realize you were this interested in reading,” Neville remarked and they both laughed, Fred plucking the book he held out of his hands and George paid for it. “You don’t have to do that,” Neville frowned.

“But we want to,” George said.

“We have enough money,” Fred added, their sales already astronomically high, not to mention the money from Harry’s initial investment.

“That’s not really the point,” Neville said, but he held the book to his chest when Fred handed it back, and he had the candy still.

-0-

Hermione sat across from Neville at breakfast the next morning, watching him as he turned a box over in his hands, a suspicious look in his eyes. “Well, what is it?” she asked, finally looking up from the notes she was going over.

“Don’t know yet,” he admitted, but it was wrapped in orange and purple.

“Who is it from?” she asked, amused as Luna plopped down beside them, having brought her plate over from the Ravenclaw table.

“The twins, “Neville said, distracted.

“It probably won’t explode,” Luna said, dreamy and far off as she ate, Hermione setting down her notes and frowning at the box now too.

“There’s never any promise it won’t explode,” she said, having had several fights with the pair of brothers about selling their products to younger students already. “Is it a gift or did you buy it?”

Neville glanced up, expression amused. “I think if I bought it, I would know what it was.”

“When did they give it to you?” Luna asked, considering a piece of toast on her fork before nodding slightly to herself and eating it.

“On the stairs,” Neville said. “This morning. Are you both quite done asking questions yet?”

Luna considered another piece of toast. “Well, you haven’t opened it yet.”

“You don’t have to open it,” Hermione said. “I mean, if you don’t want to.”

Both Luna and Neville paused before Neville chuckled wryly. “That wouldn’t be very polite, though, it being a gift and everything.”

Luna nudged his shoulder, still going through her plate with careful consideration of each forkful. Before Neville move to pull the paper off, the twins in question appeared, sliding in around Neville, Luna scooting down slightly to accommodate them with a tiny smile.

“You haven’t opened it yet?” Fred declared, George shaking his head and clicking his tongue.

“It’s been an hour. Downright ungrateful it is.”

“He doesn’t trust us, George.”

“It’s a damn shame, Fred.”

Neville glanced between them and when he hunched his shoulders slightly they both knocked theirs against his. Before Hermione could ask them what they were doing, or see what was in the box, Ron and Harry came running into the hall. “Hermione!” Ron called. “I’ll never pass this test.”

“Oh, really Ron,” Hermione huffed, already shoving her notes in her bag and standing, ignoring the way that both Fred and George were taking food off Neville’s plate, and replacing it with other foods. “Come on, I’ll quiz you on the way to class.”

“But, honestly,” Ron said and she rolled her eyes, shoving him ahead of her.

During class, a few hours later, Hermione idly noticed Neville listening to the professor with a sugar quill in hand, a faint blush on his cheekbones. Both seemed odd to her, as Neville often did not seem to have sweets in class, and that someone would blush eating a sugar quill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags/etc will change as things progress. 
> 
> Canon compliant at least through the Battle of Hogwarts (What, did you think this was going to be allowed to be a happy fic?)
> 
> I don't even remember what made me think this would be a good idea, but now I can't stop thinking about it. 
> 
> (Why am I starting new fics in finals week...?)(... Who allows me to title fics during finals?)


	2. We're Dating, Aren't We?

“Say, Neville,” Fred said cheerfully, sitting down across from him at the breakfast table, after the owls had already delivered the post for the day. “We were wondering how you feel about—” he cut off abruptly when George elbowed him in the side and he got a look at Neville’s face, which was ashen and his hands were carefully folded over the newspaper.

“Hey, Neville?” George asked, cautious.

“Excuse me,” Neville said, scooping Trevor up in one hand and leaving the Daily Prophet behind.

The twins watched him go. “Was he running from us, or that?” George asked as Fred pulled the newspaper across the table and smoothed out the front page.

“This,” he said, pointing to the headline and it took George a moment to process the headline, and the faces staring back at them.

“Son of a bitch,” he managed.

Unfortunately Umbridge found them on their way to search for Neville, and made a production of making sure to walk them to class, and they could hardly sneak out again as it was not their lucky day and they were stuck in History of Magic.

Thus it was lunch by the time they tracked Neville back down, finding him sitting on a bench near the greenhouses and trying to convince Trevor to eat something. Usually Neville and Trevor seemed vaguely ambivalent to each other, Trevor occasionally trying to escape and Neville reeling him back in, usually muttering something about their duties to the toad choir. But now it just looked like Neville wanted to cry or toss the toad across the lawn as he was ignored.

“Come on, Trevor,” Neville said as they approached. “You should know better. Sometimes there are just things that have to be done, whether you want to or not.” The toad only croaked and hopped away. Biting back a frustrated sound, Neville jumped as Fred and George settled on either side of him.

“Aren’t you eating?” George asked.

“I’m fine,” Neville said, stiff between them. He looked down at his hands as Trevor happily continued to hop away, not going very far before he settled down in the grass and watched the trio of humans.

“Sure you are,” Fred said.

“Don’t mock me,” Neville whispered, head lowering even further.

“We’re not,” George protested. “But you’re still lying.” Neville tensed between them. “We can bring you food, if you like.”

“If you don’t want to go to the great hall,” Fred continued, stretching his long limbs out and watching Neville from the corner of his eyes.

Neville scowled at the ground, folding his shoulders inward. “I can take care of myself,” he said. “And I don’t need to be coddled because of some headline. I’m perfectly,” except his voice broke and his mouth twisted as he just went back to staring at the ground.

“You don’t have to be alright,” Fred said.

“These people,” George added. “They hurt your parents, of course you’re not going to be fine.”

“They didn’t hurt my parents,” Neville said, fists clenching. “They destroyed them. She destroyed them.” He shuddered, even though it was warm enough in the sun with their heavy winter robes covering their uniform. He looked ashamed of himself.

“Blimey, you didn’t see Harry when Sirius Black got out did you?” Fred asked.

“Total mess that was,” George said.

“He went a bit out there, you know, like he does. It messed him up though.”

“For a while they were talking about not telling him at all about Sirius and his folks,” George said and paused, frowning because no one had ever given Neville that option.

Neville still refused to look up from the ground. George shifted, looking over at Fred and they both tried to be quiet, though it made them fidget. “Can’t imagine,” George said finally, faintly and he could feel Neville stiffen.

“We talked about it,” Fred said, unable to stop talking after being silent. “After mum told us, about how we could have never—well, imagined it really. To grow up like that with—” He stopped when Neville’s hands twisted up in his robes, his wand between his fingers.

“Is this pity?” he asked, voice low and both of the twins tensed.

“What, no,” George said.

“We’re not very good at pity,” Fred said, shaking his head. Neville swallowed hard and looked far from convinced. “No, we really are.”

“We’re just saying it’s okay not to be okay,” George said, hoping his tone was soothing instead of grating.

Neville twisted the wand around and Fred frowned at it, the length of the wood looking odd against Neville’s fingers. “I just want to make them proud,” he said, looking at the wand and not the twins. “With the D. A., with everything.”

Fred reached a hand out, resting it on Neville’s knee. “Hey. You’re getting better every day.”

“Who says they wouldn’t be proud of you?” George huffed, hand resting on the back of Neville’s neck and Neville startled at the touch that felt more intimate there.

“I need to go,” he said suddenly, standing and scooping up Trevor from the grass, the toad making a disgruntled sound before settling down. Neville hesitated a moment, looking at the twins before he swallowed and bobbed his head. “Thanks, though,” he said, looking embarrassed and walked away.

George leaned back on the bench, crossing his ankles. “Did that go well?”

“I’m not sure I could tell you,” Fred sighed, propping his chin in the palm of one hand.

“Still interested?” George asked, almost sounding cautious.

“Merlin’s balls yes,” Fred said and George grinned at him.

-0-

The twins tried not to scowl at Harry approaching Neville when the meeting ended, the pair talking quietly and Neville looking more earnest with Harry.

“You think he still doesn’t trust us?” Fred asked, hands in his pockets and kicking the wall where he hoped Neville would pass on the way back to the common room. It was not yet past curfew.

“Dunno,” George shrugged. “Not sure it’s about trust yet.”

They both looked up at the sounds of footsteps, leaning back against a wall and hoping it was Neville and Harry instead of someone likely to want to give them detention. “Neville,” they said brightly when he and Harry came around the corner and their smiles dimmed slightly when he startled. “Harry,” they added and got a grin for their trouble from him.

“Hullo, Fred, George,” Harry said.

“Having a good night?” George asked and Neville looked between them.

“Sure,” Harry shrugged, a little uncomfortably. “It’s been a night I guess. Heading back to the common room?”

“Not yet,” Fred said. “Say, Neville,” he added. “Do you mind maybe…?” and he noticed Harry’s stance change slightly, as if he would chose this moment to get protective.

“Sure,” Neville said, cutting him off though and his smile still looked funny around the edges. “I’ll see you later, Harry?”

“Yeah, sure,” Harry said, waving at them all and Fred and George watched him leave, wondering if he would pull out the map as soon as he was alone to make sure he wouldn’t run into anyone. They turned back to Neville at the same time, and he shifted.

“Look,” he said softly. “I wanted to say I was sorry about earlier—”

Both Fred and George’s eyes widened and they moved quickly, pulling Neville with them into a small courtyard, a balcony that someone long ago had put potted plants in and a bench. Since then the plants had outgrown their pots, twisting around the banister and creeping up the wall. “Don’t apologize,” George said.

“You don’t have to,” Fred added and Neville had tensed but he nodded.

“You did well tonight,” George added, because Neville had, a grim set to his mouth as he practiced the arm movement until his spell knocked the mannequin over.

“Don’t just say that,” Neville managed and sat down on the bench, tilting his face back slightly.

Sitting on one side of him, Fred flicked out his wand, creating a small shower of brightly colored sparks. “We aren’t,” he said, Neville watching the lights with half open eyes. On his other side, George threw several red sparks against Fred’s, something bright and flashy for Neville to focus on.

For a while they sat there, Fred and George pressed against either side of Neville, creating more and more elaborate illusions and bantering back and forth and occasionally earning a soft chuckle from the boy warm between them.

“Thank you,” Neville finally said, sounding drowsy as they rose to sneak back to the common room.

-0-

Several weeks later, the twins barreled down the hallway, Fred slinging an arm around Neville’s shoulder as they caught up to him. “Which class are you off to?” George asked.

“Charms,” Neville said, still startling at being touched no matter how many times they poked him in the side or leaned over his shoulder. “You have a free period right?”

“We’ll walk you there,” George said cheerfully, grinning over at Umbridge as they walked, shoulders knocking against Neville and Fred’s arm still around his shoulder.

Neville let out a breath, catching their expression and her annoyed sniff. “Do you have to provoke her more than we all already are?” he asked under his breath and Fred laughed, tugging him that much closer.

“Do you know what I really like?” he asked, voice low and Neville’s shoulders twitched, Fred’s mouth close to his ear. He hummed in question, holding his books against his chest, in too much of a rush to shove them into his bag earlier. “The fact that despite all her ordinances, about dalliances and proper distance between boys and girls—”

“We still get to touch you like this,” George said and Neville let out a long breath. “People see what they want to see after all.”

“There’s going to be another Hogsmeade trip,” Fred added. “For Valentine’s day.”

“Valentine’s?” Neville asked, startling more obviously and looking up.

“Yeah, and since it’s only a matter of time until the old bat cancels the trips all together,” Fred said, looking over his shoulder though they were out of sight of the bright pink suit and disapproving sniff.

“And in honor of the holiday and all,” George continued easily.

“We were wondering if you’d like to go with us again,” Fred finished and they both braced themselves. They had been sitting with Neville at lunch, occasionally shoving more harmless candy at him and being all together too touchy at the meetings of Dumbledore’s Army under the guise of correcting his stance.

Neville tilted his head back, hair carefully combed and chewed the inside of his lip for a moment. “Yeah,” he said but it was quiet. “I, I would like that.”

“Great,” George said, too much punch behind his words and he patted Neville’s shoulder blades. “See you after class,” he added with a wink and Fred laughed as they left Neville at the door to the Charm’s classroom.

-0-

Neville appeared with a scarf wrapped around his neck and his chin buried in it, hands deep in his pockets. “You’re not going to ask to go to tea, are you?” he asked as Fred and George fell in alongside him.

“No,” both twins said, forcefully.

“Oh, good,” Neville said and gave them a quiet smile. Somehow on the walk they fell into talking about spells and the other D. A. lessons.

“Do you like Hogsmeade?” George asked when they were almost there.

“It’s alright,” Neville said. “I mean, it’s a nice change of pace from London or some of the other villages that are attached to Muggle ones.” He paused, fingers twisting in the fabric of his pockets. “Did you have any plans?”

“Not really,” Fred said with a shrug. “What do you want to do?”

“I don’t,” Neville floundered. “I’m not very good at plans.”

“Just not tea?” George teased. “With dollies and hearts everywhere and—” he broke off with a laugh when Neville groaned. “She does it up special every year for Valentines too.”

“No,” Neville said, firmly and the twins laughed. They settled in at the Three Broomsticks instead, before it got too busy as it would as everyone else arrived or finished their shopping. The twins chose a dark corner, making Neville laugh and almost choke on his butterbeer.

“I, I wanted to look for a book,” Neville said finally, looking warm and happy.

“To the bookstore,” Fred declared, tossing money on the table as George grabbed both of Neville’s hands and dragged him upright, both of them stumbling slightly. As they passed Madam Puddifoot’s, George laughed to see red hearts everywhere, lace and dollies on all the tables and bored looking Cherubs tossing around pink confetti.

They ambled around the walkways, a book tucked under Neville’s arm after a stop at the shop. “And Honeydukes,” George was saying.

“It is Valentine’s,” Fred said and they paused when Neville seemed to stop.

“You don’t have to do this,” Neville said and Fred and George exchanged a look. “The chocolate and the touching and—”

“Course we don’t,” Fred said.

“We’re dating aren’t we?” George asked and both twins tensed as Neville seemed to struggle with the answer. “Aren’t we?”

"There you are," Lee Jordon said suddenly from behind them and Fred and George turned with matching grins, an automatic reaction. "I haven't been able to find you anywhere, all day!"

"Well, you know," George said and turned, meaning to drag Neville forward only to find him suddenly gone. He frowned, Fred turning slightly as well. "We were... here."

"Of course you're here," Lee said. "I know it's Valentine’s Day and all, but you two are usually easy to find, and it's not as if any of us are actually dating anyone—" he paused when he noticed the twins frowning at each other. "Are we?" he added.

"We'll have to let you know," George said finally.

-0-

By the time they reached Hogwarts, Lee must have asked them a thousand times, wheedling and otherwise being as much of a pest as he could be. "Oh come on, you have to tell me," he said as the twins stopped in the main courtyard. "I'm your best friend! It's a duty! A responsibility! You can't not tell me now?"

"Well," Fred said.

"We could," George added. "If we didn't want to."

"I hate you both," Lee muttered, crossing his arms and plopping down.

"No, you don't," George laughed as Neville finally walked through the gate, Luna skipping with her arm through his. He looked up to see the twins watching and blushed, looking back down as Luna dragged him past.

Lee blinked at the dark expressions Fred and George were sending after him. "Wait, _Longbottom_?" he asked and threw his hands up as the thunderous looks were turned on him. "Not saying anything against him! It's just unexpected, alright?" He paused as the three of them turned to walk back into the castle, noticing Umbridge standing in her usual place, watching the students. "Does this mean I can ask Angelina out?"

"You always could, mate," Fred said, not as light as usual. "Whether she says yes or no was never actually up to us."

-0-

For a few hours, the twins avoided the common room, actually working in the library to research a charm they wanted to try on a new product. “Well, I guess so much for that experiment,” Fred said and George didn’t bother to ask which experiment he meant.

When the twins returned to the common room, Neville was nowhere to be seen so they debated simply retreating for the night or actually taking a pass at doing their schoolwork. They flipped a few coins and when that was not enough to convince themselves one way or another, they played a few hand games before finally settling down in front of the fire.

Most of the other students had retired by the time Neville sat down, placing himself between them and they shifted automatically to accept him there before actually noticing what they were doing. “Neville,” they said together, in some surprise and he blushed, looking down as he placed a package in each twin’s lap.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I’m not very good at this.”

George lifted the chocolate box, considering it for a moment before he grinned, looking over to see a matching expression on Fred’s face. “Chocolate.”

“It’s Valentine’s, isn’t it?” Neville asked, still blushing and staring at a distant point on the floor. “Luna’s just a friend,” he added, answering a question not asked. “It’s different, when she touches me. In public I mean, like today, I saw you watching. It’s sweet, but when you,” his fingers curled around each other. “It’s different. It makes me feel different.”

“So we’re—” Fred started to ask.

“Dating,” Neville said and it looked like only an effort of will kept him from burying his face in his hands. “Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is proving why I should start rereading the books BEFORE writing the fic. Messed with the timeline like a pro in the first chapter.


	3. It's Complicated. It Should be Complicated

“Come on a walk,” George said the next day, looking out the window at where some snow littered the ground, a sprinkling from the night before dusting the trees.

“But,” Neville protested, looking up from the essay he was measuring. “We were gone so much yesterday and there’s still so much work—“

“Do that during the week,” George said, already pulling him toward the door, ignoring Hermione’s yelp from behind them about being responsible. “The snow will be ruined in hours, come on.”

Flushing, Neville let them push him out of the common room. “But, it’ll be cold,” he protested and Fred transfigured the scarf he had been wearing into something longer and fluffier, wrapping it around Neville’s neck. “Oh.” He twined his fingers in the material. “Thank you.”

George laughed. “It suits you,” he said, not missing the way Fred’s eyes flared with heat to see Neville wear something of his, though Neville seemed totally unaware.

“I was serious,” he said. “I do have a lot of work to do still.”

“We won’t keep you that long then,” George said and Fred coughed. “But it’s all too pretty not to go out.”

Neville’s smile was small and almost hidden by the scarf. “Is this why the two of you get such bad grades?” he asked. “Everyone knows you’re smart enough, but you’re quite distractible, aren’t you?”

“Oh no, George,” Fred said, looking over.

“He’s on to us, Fred,” George said, laughing and Neville smiled faintly again, as they spilled out into the courtyard, a breeze stirring the foliage growing on the columns and a few owls circling the sky on their way back in for the day. Some students were out on the grounds but most were either sleeping in or finishing work.

“It’s not that hard,” Neville said and Fred and George eagerly dragged him further along, out into the grounds of Hogwarts itself, away from Hagrid’s hut and the Forbidden forest.

He sat for a while as Fred and George built a snowman by hand, something with horns and what might have been wings if the snow had held properly but they were trying to do it without magic. Looking up from the book he had been reading, Neville nearly fell over laughing as Fred and George gave up and started pelting each other with snowballs instead.

“Oi,” Fred protested, looking over at where Neville was holding his side. He threw a mushy snowball at Neville but he only continued to laugh.

“Could you do better?” George asked, sliding over in the snow and collapsing next to Neville.

“No,” he said, looking at their dumpy creation. “I wouldn’t even have tried.”

Fred stalked over, making Neville squeak when he dropped more snow on him. “Then hush you.”

“I can’t help it,” Neville protested as George spread his legs and arms out, moving them up and down. “What are you doing?”

“Muggles call them snow… whatsit?” George asked and Fred crouched down.

“Angels or some such,” Fred said. “Snow angels.”

“Not sure it looks very angelic,” Neville remarked, looking over. “Aren’t they usually in that stained glass they have? With gold halos and all that?”

“Don’t insult the snow angels,” Fred said, lunging at Neville and knocking him over and back into the snow. He meant it to be teasing, but Neville fell over on his back more easily than expected and Fred found himself slamming down on top of him.

“Oh,” Neville managed in surprise, the tips of his ears pink from the chill. For a moment Fred hovered there, elbows braced to keep him from falling on top of the other boy and Neville staring up at him with wide eyes. “What’re you—?” Neville started to ask, shifting and Fred dropped down enough to slide their mouths together, catching Neville’s startled breath. His hands curled on the ground next to Neville’s head, as Neville’s hands hesitantly came up to twist in his shirt, breath hitching as Fred pressed deeper into the kiss.

He would have stayed there longer except George dumped snow down the back of his coat. “Oi,” George protested. “Don’t be selfish.”

“Did you want one too?” Neville asked, one hand still holding Fred’s coat as the other reached out and pulled George down on the ground beside them.

Allowing himself to be pulled, George grinned. “Well, I wouldn’t say no to—” and Neville kissed him, sloppier and less sure than the way Fred had kissed him until George cupped his face and tilted his head back, guiding the kiss.

Shivering, Neville finally pulled back. He realized he had a hand on both of them and quickly dropped both hands, pulling them back against his chest and trying to remember how to breathe with both of the twins staring at him. “I,” he started and gave up. Blushing he looked down before shyly bringing his gaze back to find them both still grinning at him.

“Enjoying yourself?” George asked and Neville nodded, still bright red but slowly smiling back. Fred leaned back, offering a hand to pull Neville back up, brushing powdery snow off his back but could not resist stealing another kiss, George claiming one when he helped Neville to his feet.

By the time they reached the common room again, Neville still red but laughing as he protested he really did have work to finish, the twins were still grinning. Neville separated from them quickly, holding his head down to hide his flushed face as he headed for one corner. Watching Fred heading for their usual chairs, George’s grin widened and he leaned over his shoulder. “We’re downright sauntering,” he said quietly so no one else could hear and Fred laughed.

They both stopped to see Hermione standing in front of them. “You’re not going to lecture us again, are you?” Fred asked, not sounding half as annoyed as usual. “We’ve not tested anything on first years in ages.”

“What did you do to Neville?” she asked, hands on her hips and both of the twins stopped, blinking at her.

“Eh?” George managed.

“You two came in here grinning, and he couldn’t even look up,” Hermione said, increasingly annoyed. “He practically ran away from you, so what did you do?”

“Nothing he would not approve of,” George said, tone stiffening at the accusation.

“Lighten up,” Fred added as they breezed past, heading for the stairs to their dormitory, too tempted to pester Neville more if they stayed and stared at him. They collapsed, laughing, on what was probably originally George’s bed.

“We should work,” George said finally when they sorted themselves out, laying sideways on the bed on their backs, legs dangling over the sides. “I think we’re near a breakthrough with the latest potion.”

Fred just laughed, because this was what had been missing before when they dated separate people, the elation that they could share completely. Before they could push themselves up, Lee Jordan pushed the door open, sitting on the bed across from theirs and propping his chin up in one hand.

“Yeah, Lee?” Fred asked, pushing himself on his elbows, George still flat out on his back.

“So you two are serious, huh?” Lee asked and Fred shrugged, George sitting up.

“Have we ever not been serious about something in our lives?”

“Yeah,” Lee laughed. “Everything you’ve ever done.” He ducked as they both started tossing candies from the snackboxes at his head. He was still laughing as he straightened but his expression turned serious after a moment. “But honestly,” he said. “It's not... He's not just something like a Quiddach replacement or something.”

“Lee,” Fred said dangerously.

“That sounds like something Hermione Granger would accuse us of,” George added.

“You should know us better than that,” Fred finished bitterly.

Lee shrugged, though he at least looked uncomfortable. “I don't know,” he said. “Never seen you try and date the same person at the same time, let alone someone like L—Neville.”

“What do you mean, someone like Neville?” George demanded.

“Uh,” Lee managed, not backtracking but looking for another option. “He's not like Katie or any of them, you know? He's quieter and frankly a lot less secure. It's going to look like you guys are taking advantage of him, let alone how weird the whole thing is going to look.”

“So don't tell people then,” Fred snapped.

Lee gave him a disbelieving look as George frowned. “Come to think of it, he hasn't really told anyone either. I mean, it is a little unorthodox...”

“Or a lot,” Fred said and they both fell silent for a moment.

Looking between his friends, Lee carefully did not sigh. “If the pack of you are happy,” he said finally. “Then you're happy and I'm happy. But be careful, alright?”

“You remember that's not really in our nature, right?” George asked, arching a brow and Lee laughed, dropping the topic.

After arguing cheerfully for a while over the latest trick wand's efficiency, the twins crawled under the blankets of whichever bed they were in. No matter what anyone had ever said, they never had gotten over the habit of sleeping curled around each other, despite the sudden awkwardness of it several years ago.

“Do you think he's ashamed of us?” George asked when he heard Lee's tell tale snuffle that meant he was asleep.

“Hell of a thing to ask,” Fred said, looking at the curtains, barely able to make them out in the dim light.

“Well,” George said. “I guess we're not really telling anyone either.”

Fred shifted, knocking George's arm up before settling back down. “Do you think Lee's right? That maybe we shouldn't go after someone, well, like him? He...”

“Seems shocked,” George finished. “No matter what we do, like he's expecting us to pull the rug out and say surprise, it was all a carefully crafted set up.”

Fred nodded. “He kissed us though,” he said and George laughed into his shoulder. “The both of us. Seemed pretty happy about it.”

“Yeah,” George grinned. “And he can take a joke, if it's in a good enough spirit. Remember when we turned him into a canary?”

Stifling his giggle, Fred nodded. “Not that all our jokes have been in good spirit, mind.”

“Then we'll just have to work on that, I guess,” George said.

-0-

“Morning Neville,” Fred and George chimed as they sat down on either side of Neville, Fred helping himself to toast off his plate and George reaching across for the jam. Neville startled slightly and glanced over at the twins before pausing.

“Morning Fred,” he said, nodding to the twin holding his toast. “Morning George.”

Both twins stopped and stared at him.

“What?” Neville managed, looking uncomfortable, like he had gotten something horribly wrong. “What?”

“But we're wearing each other's clothes,” George said, plucking at the fabric that was indeed Fred's shirt.

Neville flushed slightly, rescuing half his toast back from Fred. “Yeah,” he agreed. “I've been trying the last couple weeks to figure out which of you is which, without having to rely on you calling each other's names or clothes or something.” He paused and beamed. “I got it right, right?”

The twins stared at him again. “Yeah,” Fred said finally. “Yeah, you did.”

“Good,” Neville managed. “It was really worrying me. But if... if this is going to work I can't get you mixed up really. I just, it wouldn't be right.”

George flung his arm across Neville's shoulder, ignoring the _hem hem_ sound at the public display of any sort of affection. “You're wonderful,” he said into his ear before the twins were up and moving again, waving over their shoulders at Umbridge as they passed. Ron sat down across from Neville, still running his fingers through his hair, Harry taking up a seat on his other side.

“They've taken quite a shine to you,” Ron mused and Neville looked down at his plate, shrugging slightly. 

-0-

“Patronus Charms,” Harry tried to explain again as the members of the DA waved their wands and tried to create silvery mist, or even better a full animal. “It's difficult. You don't have to get it yet, but it's a powerful tool in your defense.”

Fred was scowling at the mist George was producing while he was still waving his wand around. 

“And the memory... it can't just be a little happy, it has to be the happiest you can come up with,” Harry continued, still pacing around the room and watching. “But it can also be complicated, that's not bad. It's not just happiness in a superficial way, that's not going to work. It can't just be getting a great bar of chocolate.”

“Yeah, what if the chocolate was really, really good though?” George asked as Fred finally produced a silver mist, whooping in excitement. 

Neville stood still, holding his father's wand out in front of him, trying to focus on something happy and constantly being distracted by the feel of the wood in his hands, and the memory of who it had once belonged to.

“It's still not going to work,” Harry said, shaking his head. “Sadly.”

He stopped walking, frowning at where Neville stood, wand in front of him but not moving. “Aren't you even going to try?” he asked, obviously trying to sound kindly. 

“I just,” Neville frowned. “There's not,” he started and stopped. Because of course there were a hundred things he had ever been happy about, like when he could actually do magic, or when he had been handed Trevor as a gift, or a thousand other moments, both before and after Hogwarts. But he could not come up with a single one he thought would be good enough. 

Harry looked sympathetic. “You'll think of something,” he said, patting Neville on the shoulder.

“Yeah, thanks,” he muttered and watched Fred and George flinging silver mist at each other. “You said it can be complicated, right?”

“Yeah,” Harry nodded. “Something... it's not just about joy you know? It's … real happiness, the sort that can make the best Patronus charm, it's something that goes deeper, like something's inflated in your chest, but it makes your hands ache and your mouth smile and it's everything at once and...” he shrugged, abruptly running out of words. “It's complicated. It should be complicated. That's the sort that's the most powerful.”

Looking at Harry, Neville nodded. “Complicated. Okay.” 

As Harry moved away, Neville turned his attention back to the twins, and he found himself smiling. Raising his wand, he thought about complicated happiness and was about to try again when everything suddenly went wrong around them.

 


	4. For your aesthetic pleasure

Neville pretended to focus on his homework, which he was hideously behind in, the skin on his left hand stretching painfully when he flipped through the pages of a book. His class had been one of the first to all get detention from Umbridge when Dumbledore disappeared and she became the new Headmistress of the school.

Every few moments though, his eyes betrayed him as they flickered to the portrait hole, but Fred and George had not come back yet. It was hours past curfew.

Around him, students filed out of the common room, even Harry, Ron and Hermione having long since left despite how often they stayed up later than anyone else Neville knew. But even they had gone to bed and the twins were still gone so he turned another page, not absorbing a word of it. His attention was so intent on the door he didn’t realize anyone else was still in the common room with him until a shadow fell across the book he was aimlessly staring at.

“Ah,” he jumped, looking up and tried not to blush at the grin Lee Jordan gave him as the older boy sat down beside him. “Can, can I help you?”

Lee sprawled out, hands crossed over his stomach and he made a perfect picture of relaxed elegance against the old red armchair. “I just wanted to talk,” he said, one corner of his mouth turned up in a grin as if the expression never left his face.

“Yeah?” Neville asked, unable to remember if they had ever spoken before alone.

“Well, you know,” Lee shrugged one shoulder and his eyes, Neville realized, were on the door too. “I’ve been considering giving you the hurt-them-and-I-hurt-you speech.”

Neville choked on air, finally closing the book and giving up Transfiguration as a lost cause for the night. “Oh, erm, have you?” he asked and winced at his own fumbling words because clearly Lee had just said he had.

Except Lee’s expression still looked as amused as earlier, and it wasn’t unkind. “Well, I like to think they’re both perfectly taking care of themselves, but on the other hand they’re sorta,” he shrugged. “Unusual? A lot of people don’t get it and, frankly, love them both, would never even begin to imagine dating them at the same time.”

“They presented themselves as a package,” Neville muttered, unable to meet Lee’s earnest expression.

He laughed and shook his head. “Not even surprised. Point is, Fred and George matter a lot to me. And I don’t think you’re inclined to string them along, or otherwise play around because everything about you had indicated you aren’t the type.” His eyes sharpened suddenly and Neville squirmed under his gaze. “But I could be wrong. I’d rather not be.”

Neville finally forced himself to look back over. “I hope you’re not too,” he said, quietly and determined and Lee’s brows shot up.

“Good,” he said, after a moment’s surprise. “Because I’d like to see them happy.”

“So would I,” Neville said quietly as the door flew open and the twins stumbled inside, tripping over each other and their hair suspiciously damp.

“Neville,” George said, eyes brightening. “Oh, and Lee.”

“Oh and Lee,” Lee mocked. “What the hell am I to you people?”

“You’re not kissing us,” Fred said, dropping down on the arm of Neville’s chair and leaning against him. Neville sucked in a deep breath, the warmth and scent of the other boy reassuring him now they were finally back and safe for the night. George squished himself on the other arm, closer to falling in Neville’s lap.

“Waiting up for us?” George asked with a grin and Neville swallowed hard to be enveloped by both of them.

“I was studying,” he said quietly, holding the book up and George plucked it from him.

He flipped the cover open and grinned. “Oh, Transfiguration. How I remember this book well.”

“Which is why it’s too bad you’re not taking the class,” Fred said on Neville’s other side, rolling his eyes. “I still can’t believe you failed that OWL.”

“It was a bad day,” George shrugged, unconcerned. “I’m good at it which is what matters. Stupid test anyway.”

Fred laughed and Neville blushed when he started twining his fingers with the short hairs at the nape of Neville’s neck, intimate and warm. “Still, at least I’m in Transfiguration and not Herbology.”

“What does _that_ mean?” Neville demanded, looking up at Fred and frowning. George laughed as Fred froze, realizing what he’d just said.

“That, I mean, there’s nothing wrong, persay with the subject—”

“I happen to quite like Herbology,” George said, leaning against Neville’s side and grinning like the cat that had gotten not only the cream but the canary at the same time. “All those useful plants and their wonderful properties…”

“You’re not really getting a lot of points right now either,” Neville said, even though he was blushing lightly and George laughed again, wiggling closer. “No, come on, give the book back I really need to finish this homework—”

“It’s almost four am,” Fred protested, snagging the book from George and holding it out of Neville’s reach. “Is it due in the morning?”

“No,” Neville said, pinned against the chair by George, even as he strained forward for the book. “But—”

Fred wagged the fingers of his free hand in front of Neville’s face. “No, you should get to bed,” he said and grinned to see Neville’s blush turn totally red. “Finish it tomorrow.”

“I think I can get myself to bed without your help,” Neville protested and George and Fred shared a quick look before George stood, hauling Neville with him, causing the boy to yelp. Fred packed his book away and gave Lee a jaunty wave before he supported Neville’s other side and helped his twin carry him up the stairs.

“Oh Merlin,” Neville said from around the corner of the staircase and Lee had to cover his face he was laughing so hard. “Just—look, just put me down—”

-0-

“You’re not still irritated about last night, are you?” Fred asked at dinner and Neville gave him an icy look from across the table. They were some of the last students in the hall, most having already eaten and drifted away to do homework.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Neville replied, calmly spreading butter on a roll.

“This isn’t about the Herbology comment is it?” Fred asked, eyes narrowed and George snickered again, as he had been every time he thought about Fred walking himself into that hole. “I have nothing against the subject, I just personally, you know, prefer other things.”

“That’s a perfectly valid life choice,” Neville replied, voice neutrally bland and Fred’s face fell.

George almost fell off the bench and opted to bury his face in his arms on the table instead, muffling his laughter. “Oh shut up,” Fred shoved him. “You’re in trouble too, it was your idea to carry him up the stairs.”

Color on his cheekbones, Neville looked down again, remembering the way they had stumbled around, until Fred had pinned him against the stairwell, almost directly outside the fifth year boy’s dormitory and kissed him until Neville couldn’t see straight, trying not to moan loudly enough to wake all the boy’s dorms up. When Fred had drawn back, George had been watching them with too bright eyes before smearing a kiss along Neville’s jaw as the twins ran the rest of the way upstairs to their own dorm, leaving Neville at the doorway to his.

“I need to go to the library,” he said, shoving the rest of the roll into his mouth and standing.

Fred and George both followed him as he stood. “Are you honestly angry at us?” George asked, no longer laughing.

“I’m not sure angry’s really,” Neville started and shook his head, scuffing one toe against the stone floor of the Great Hall. “Wanna come with me?” he asked and the twins bounded up on their feet almost instantly. Neville glanced around the hall, seeing Filch watching the twins with narrow eyes. He set a brisk pace out of the room and turned toward the library.

“So you’re not really mad?” George asked, hands in his pockets as they walked.

“No,” Neville said, not quite looking at either of them. “Just surprised was all. I mean,” he could feel his cheeks heating again and hated it. “I’m not sure what to think when you touch me and other people can see.”

“It was just Lee,” Fred protested. “I mean, it’s Lee. And he already knows—”

“It’s not,” Neville started. “It’s not really about keeping this a secret. I’m just _uncomfortable_ with… with…”

“Public displays of affection?” George offered when Neville floundered and Neville’s shoulders sagged.

“Yeah, I guess that’s it,” he nodded, hands holding tight to his school bag. “It’s not because I’m ashamed it’s just—I don’t know yet. I don’t want people to know because I like having this to myself. It’s something that’s mine and I don’t want it to be like this forever but for now, while I’m sorting things, while we’re sorting things,” he shrugged helplessly. “And kissing me like that in front of—what if Ron had come out and seen? The noise could have startled him.”

Both twins found themselves oddly scowling at the mention of their littlest brother. “Alright, point,” Fred conceded. “Say,” he said after a beat, seeing the doorway to a passageway he remembered from the map they gave to Harry. “Do you really need to do a lot of work in the library?”

“Well, yes,” Neville said and George followed Fred’s gaze, grinning before grabbing Neville’s wrist and dragging him with him.

“You always have a lot of work, it’s OWL year,” he said and Fred pulled out his wand, tapping the stone open.

Neville followed willingly. “Yes, which is why I should really do it,” he protested weakly and let George tug him in to the dark space. Fred closed the stone wall behind them and cast a quick Lumos. Neville looked around in interest. “So this is—”

“Perfectly unlikely to have Ron step in,” George said and laughed, nuzzling Neville’s hair.

“Hey,” Neville protested weakly, trying to lay it back down the way he had combed it that morning the same moment Fred pressed his mouth to the side of his neck, making him yelp and jump, moaning and tilting his neck the moment he realized what was happening.

“Can I kiss you?” George breathed across his hair and Neville nodded, one hand on Fred’s shoulder blade and the other coming up to twist around in George’s sweater.

Laughing, George tilted Neville’s chin back, pressing him deeper into the wall and licked at his lips until Neville let his mouth drop open. “You’re so lovely,” he murmured.

“Stop it,” Neville said and Fred batted him lightly on the stomach.

“No, hush, you are,” he agreed and went back to giving Neville a hickey underneath the cover of his shirt.

“Well, I suppose,” Neville started after a beat and groaned when George’s hands moved down to his waist as they kissed again. It was hot, trapped between both bodies and Neville wanted to at least get out of his robes and sweater but didn’t want to move enough to do either. “You know,” he said, trying to think enough to get the words out. “I wanted to mention—the other day when I was waiting—“ and he winced to himself, for admitting that he had started staying up to wait for them. “I managed to cast a Patronus.”

“Neville,” Fred said happily, finally pulling his mouth up after licking the red spot one more time. “That’s fantastic.”

“It wasn’t a very good one,” Neville said. “Nothing like Harry’s or, or Hermione’s. There wasn’t a shape to it, it was just a shield but—“ Fred and George’s hands had met on his hips and that was very distracting, to feel their warm fingers and have them both grin at him.

“That’s still wonderful,” George said.

“I was thinking about this,” Neville blurted and enjoyed the surprise on both their faces. “I was thinking about you, and me, and things like this and it worked, it-it made me h-happy—“

George kissed him so hard their teeth clicked together, almost painfully and Neville groaned again, an answering rumble coming from George’s chest before he pulled back and was replaced almost as quickly by Fred.

He was so distracted by Fred’s mouth that he almost missed George pulling at his robes and unbuckling his belt. Both Fred and Neville paused, staring at him under the light of Fred’s wand. “Can I?” George asked and Neville sucked in a desperate breath.

“Yes,” he managed, and Fred’s eyes lit up. “Yes, yes, oh, please,” because he pretended not to be affected in public, and the idea of either of them touching him too much still frightened him, but his entire body thrummed when they touched him and it felt like all the teasing and grins and touches had been leading up to this and he wanted it so much his hands ached.

Yet he hadn’t been expecting George to drop to his knees either. He made a high pitched sound that only increased when George pushed all the fabric down and dived in, kissing and licking. “Oh fuck,” Neville managed, a word he picked up from Dean when the other boy was particularly annoyed or in awe of something. Neville had never quite figured out what the word meant, or in which situations it was appropriate for one use or the other, but he could think of no other words.

The whine at the back of his throat kicked up another notch when suddenly Fred dropped down too, on the other side from George and mouthed the other side of his cock.

Neville covered his mouth with both hands, grateful when George reached out to pin his hips to the wall because otherwise he was certain his knees would have given out and he would have collapsed in a puddle on the floor. Looking down and watching the twins though, two bobbing heads of red hair, was almost too much and he had to cover his eyes as well as his mouth.

“You don’t have to hide,” Fred said, pulling back enough to speak and Neville almost fell over despite both their grips on his hips now because of how red his mouth was. Instead he only made a strangled sound and Fred laughed, licking a long path from one end to the other and back.

“You’re like to kill me,” Neville managed from between his hands.

“I hope not,” George said, sucking the tip into his mouth and humming.

Everything was too much, from the sweaty scratch of his sweater on his shoulder blades, to the feel of his fingers pressed against his mouth, and most certainly the vibration of George’s mouth, Fred’s hand wrapped around the base of his cock and tongue somewhere below George’s. Neville came with a shout that he was certain could be heard through the stone wall and the press of his hand against his mouth.

His knees gave out and both Fred and George reached out quickly to catch him, easing him down into a mess of limbs and robes on the floor as he panted. “Oh,” he managed, reaching his hands out vaguely toward them as George curled up around his side, Fred on the other. “Oh.”

George kissed the side of his eye and Neville fumbled out a hand. “Here, let me,” Neville started, reaching down and pausing when George laughed.

“Already did,” he said and the notion that George had already come floored Neville. “The sounds you make … ” George added and Fred rested his chin on Neville’s shoulder.

“I haven’t come yet,” he whined and Neville wrapped both hands around him as George kissed him again, Fred making quiet sounds in the side of Neville’s neck, breath brushing against the mark he’d made earlier. One of George’s hands wrapped around Neville’s waist and Neville tugged Fred closer, almost sprawling him across his lap as Fred made a high pitched moan and came all over Neville’s hands.

“Have a spell for that,” he murmured, fumbling around for his wand and Neville nodded, skin buzzing as Fred flicked the wand, cleaning them all up but doing nothing for their clothes in disarray.

Neville grunted as Fred leaned in to kiss him again, the three of them a pile on the floor, Neville’s back pressed against the wall. “Stop,” he managed weakly. “I can’t anymore.” His mouth was red and wet and he collapsed further. “I get two kisses for each of yours.”

“We could kiss each other,” Fred said. “If you like.”

Neville cracked one eye that had closed open. “I thought… I thought you said you didn’t really want to do that,” he said, cautious.

The twins both shrugged. “We don’t, really,” Fred said.

“It is weird,” George continued as he settled on one side of Neville, curled up around his shoulder and pulling Neville’s pants back up as Fred buckled his belt, kissing his neck and grinning at the small squirm he got in response.

“But,” Fred murmured, breathing on the space he’d just kissed and Neville shuddered. “We wouldn’t mind if you wanted a show.”

“For your aesthetic pleasure,” George added, chuckling from where his head rested against Neville’s shoulder.

For a long moment Neville just stared slack-jawed at a distant point across the wall. “You two are so weird,” he managed finally, feeling them both laugh into his shoulder, his hands curling around their shoulders as they folded their long legs up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeeeeh it's been a really bad day.


	5. And that, he supposed, was that.

Neville felt like he was losing his mind.

He spent his time between studying frantically for the OWLS, anxiety lodged in his chest and not moving, and finding every crook and cranny where he and Fred and George could hide, trading kisses and other hurried encounters.

Sometimes he would sit in class, trying desperately to pay attention to Snape or Flitwick and instead he would find himself idly rubbing over a faint bruise on his wrist that Fred’s mouth had put there, thinking about George’s face right after he came, the way it was more open then Fred’s but only slightly.

He really hated when he got distracted in potions though, because he was having enough trouble in that class as it was.

But every time he would open his mouth, tell the twins not tonight, he really did have to study, he would somehow change his mind, and instead stay up later then he planned to make up for lost time. In their defense, Fred and George really did try to help him with his homework and they had quick minds and plenty of knowledge. They simply had not cared much about their own tests.

“But it does matter to you, doesn’t it?” George asked one night and Neville nodded so George pulled back from where he had been trailing a hand idly up and down Neville’s arm, putting enough space between them for Neville to finally focus.

“School’s not all that important, though,” Fred said, fiddling with a black stone, filing one edge of it into powder and poking it. They had been quiet since Easter holidays had started.

“You can say that,” Neville muttered and Fred dropped it, George helping him with the powder he was making, talking quietly about what properties it might have, how to activate them, and how to package it.

“Ugh,” Fred said almost an hour later, throwing the file down and Neville was so close to finishing the potions essay he was writing he could taste it at the back of his throat. “I miss Hogsmeade trips. At least then we had something to look forward to. But no, even those are banned now.”

“Well,” Neville said, still trying to write. “At least this time everyone is banned, not just me.”

George looked over at him in confusion before he remembered. “Oh, the list of passwords.  Poor Sirius, I wonder if he would feel bad about that.”

Fred snorted. “Probably feel worse he didn’t try sneaking out on his own,” he said and paused, because they had helped Harry but not Neville that year.

Neville was looking between them with a frown. “Sirius Black?” he asked, to confirm and confused by the way they were talking like they knew him.

“Yeah, you know, Harry’s godfather?” Fred said. “He’s actually a pretty nice bloke, I mean, cranky for sure and…” he stopped when he caught sight of Neville’s stare.

“Isn’t he a wanted dark wizard?” Neville asked, confused. “Who was trying to kill Harry? Wasn’t that why he kept breaking in?”

“Oh,” George said. “Uh, Harry never told you? He was framed for the dark wizard thing.”

“No,” Neville said after a beat and looked back down at his parchment. “I need to finish this essay,” he added, instead of trying to process that or talk about it. Except he stared at the parchment and wrote nothing, Fred and George still watching him. “Actually, I need to go to bed,” he amended, rising to his feet and gathering up his supplies.

“Good night,” Fred said quietly and Neville managed to scrounge up a smile for him before retreating up the stairs.

He wasn’t entirely sure why the idea bothered him so much, Harry often forgot to tell him things. Important things even. In his defense, Neville had never felt like taking the initiative and telling Harry about his parents either.

But he was bothered. Somehow the fact that other people knew who Sirius Black was while he didn’t made his skin itch with wanting to know what else no one might have thought to tell him. Slipping into the fifth year boy’s dormitory, he noticed Harry still sitting up and reading.

“Hey, Neville,” Harry said, and it looked like Seamus and Dean were still working on homework somewhere else, also in the throes of OWLS panic, Ron asleep on the book he was supposed to be reading.

“Hey Harry,” Neville said and sat down on his own bed before frowning over at Harry. “So Sirius Black is your godfather?”

Harry startled before blinking over. “He… yeah. Did I not tell you about that?”

“No,” Neville said. “Uh, Fred and George mentioned it in passing. I thought he… you know, betrayed your parents and killed people.”

“No,” Harry shook his head. “Sorry, I found out at the end of third year, didn’t realize I didn’t mention it.”

“It’s okay,” Neville said, forcing a smile he did not mean.

He sat, still not finishing his potions essay as Harry talked about Sirius and outside of the DA it was the most he heard Harry talk all year. He listened, only half paying attention to what Harry was saying until he started talking about Peter Pettigrew.

“Can,” he started and fumbled for the words. “Can you say that again?”

Harry nodded, continuing blithely. “Sure. I mean, apparently he followed the other three around, sort of like a hanger on. Got into all sorts of trouble with them and they were friends but he wasn’t really like them, not as skilled. Though he could turn into a rat, which is where he hid the last decade… as the Weasley’s rat Scabbers. You remember Scabbers right?”

Neville felt a little like being sick. “Ron’s rat was… Peter Pettigrew?” he managed.

The corner of Harry’s mouth twisted. “Yeah. And he got away.”

“But,” Neville started, feeling more sick. “You mean to say, for three years a man who murdered people, was sleeping in the same room as us? Living with us? And no one knew?”

“Wow,” Harry said. “When you say it like that…”

Neville loved Trevor, for being one of the few gifts he had been given in his life, regardless of how he felt about the toad’s actual personality. But he suddenly wanted to pitch him out the window.

“Well,” Harry said after a beat and riffled through his trunk for a moment. “Mad-Eye gave me a picture, this winter, you might like to see it though I find it really morbid,” and he came up with a red photo album which Neville had seen but never really considered before. Harry opened it and came out with a somewhat large picture, handing it to Neville who accepted it gingerly across the space between their beds. “It’s the first order,” Harry said. “The people who resisted Voldemort,” and Neville winced, still incapable of hearing the name.

“Oh,” Neville said, looking at all the smiling faces.

“A lot of them are dead now,” Harry said, voice low. “It’s why I think it’s morbid.” He leaned over, pointing to a couple that Neville had already recognized. “See? There’s your parents.”

“Oh,” Neville repeated, because he hadn’t been able to stop staring at them. He wondered suddenly what else was in that photo album Harry had, and why no one ever seemed to give him pictures of his parents. His gran had one hanging in the living room, but otherwise if she had them she kept them to herself. Perhaps, Neville thought, it was because the pictures were precious to her, and Neville too clumsy to be trusted with them.

“And there’s Sirius,” Harry was saying, Neville barely flickering his eyes away from his own parents. “And there’s Peter Pettigrew,” and Neville froze, staring at the chubby young man who stood awkwardly by Sirius and Remus Lupin, hands behind his back and his eyes shifting around a little nervously.

“Was,” he cleared his throat. “Was he in Gryffindor?”

“Yeah,” Harry said, leaning back. “Don’t know how.”

Neville thrust the picture back at him. “You’re right,” he said. “It’s morbid.”

For a moment, Harry hesitated, looking at the picture Neville was holding out with shaking hands, and his photo album. “You know,” he said slowly. “If you wanted it, because, I mean, it’s your parents too and…”

“It’s fine,” Neville lied because he wanted it but he couldn’t stop staring at Peter Pettigrew and feeling sick. Four friends, and one the chubby hanger on who betrayed all the others and he wanted to be sick.

“No,” Harry said. “Really.”

Curling his fingers around the edge of the photograph, Neville drew it back against his chest and held it there for a long time as he stared at the canopy of his bed, not sleeping.

He managed to finish the essay enough to turn it in, though his conclusion was even worse than usual and Snape sneered at him as he handed the parchment over.

-0-

“Luna,” George said brightly, sitting down across from her in the library. She hummed, barely looking up.

“You want to talk about Neville?” she asked and George deflated, Fred sitting down beside him.

“Sorry?” George offered and she looked up enough to smile dreamily at him.

“No, it’s alright,” she said, turning the page in the book. “He’s been very quiet the last few days.”

“Exactly,” Fred sighed. “We were wondering if you knew what was going on.”

She turned another page of the book in front of her, helping Neville study for the OWLS and claiming it would help her better the next year when it was her chance to take them. “I don’t know what’s wrong,” she said, turning another page. “You could ask him.”

“That would require him to answer it,” Fred said. “Which he’s been disinclined to, and frankly I’d really like to get back to screwing around the school like bunnies. What?” he asked, looking over when George elbowed him. “I wou… Oh. Hi Neville.”

“Are you done pestering Luna?” Neville asked, voice ice from where he had come up behind Fred, holding several books against his chest.

“We weren’t,” George started and Luna cut him off.

“They weren’t pestering Neville, they’re worried about you.” She made a motion and Fred slid over, Neville sitting between him and George. “And I don’t mind. It’s nice they came seeking me.”

“Is it?” Neville asked, still looking angry.

“It means they care,” she said, patting his hand and taking the books from him. “Now. We need to talk more about these charms if you want to understand the theory behind them, which should help both on the test and actually performing them.”

“But,” Neville started, and looked at Fred and George.

“They can stay or leave,” she said, finding the page she wanted. “Here, read this and I’ll make a diagram.”

Fred and George stayed, occasionally pointing out a trick and mostly working on their own homework for once. When Neville finally started packing up, Luna having left a half hour ago, they both quickly shoved their own books away.

“Do you want to talk about it?” George asked as they walked back to the common room.

“There’s not really anything to talk about,” Neville answered, not looking up at either of them.

Allowing that to pass for the moment the three of them walked in silence down several corridors.

“I would never betray any of my friends,” Neville said suddenly, vicious and Fred and George exchanged a confused look over his head, which was bowed down as he walked.

“Yeah?” Fred asked. “Did anyone ever… actually assume you would?”

“No,” Neville said, kicking at the stone floor. “But, I guess… no one told me about Peter Pettigrew.”

“Who you aren’t,” George said instantly.

“It’s similar though, isn’t it?” Neville protested. “The…” He shook his head, as if to rid of it of the bad thoughts. “Never mind. It’s nothing. I’ll be fine.”

Curling a hand around Neville’s waist, Fred, for once in his life, decided not to say anything.

They almost reached the Gryffindor common room when Neville spoke again. “I still can’t believe you said that to Luna,” he muttered and the twins both nearly fell over laughing, letting Neville primly enter the common room before them, laughing still as they stumbled in moments later.

-0-

Since the Easter holidays had been so quiet, Neville had almost forgotten about Fred and George’s mutinous mutterings about leaving the school that had been going on since Dumbledore left. “You barely have months left to go,” Neville had said, every time it came up in his hearing, because the thought of them leaving him made his stomach twist. He was already not looking forward to the end of the year when they would graduate from Hogwarts, certain that whatever they had been building over the months would be gone then. After all, this was just a school affair.

But the instant Easter holidays ended, so did his happy illusion they were going to bother to stay when a swamp opened up in the corridor. The instant he heard the commotion after classes he started running toward it, before most people had processed what happened or started going the other direction. Most people, however, were curious and slowed his passage. He had to shove through students already standing there, trying to reach the front. Before he could, Filch passed him on the other way, crowing under his breath that he would finally be able to give them a good whipping like they had always deserved.

Neville froze, staring after Filch in shocked horror for a moment.

He didn’t even have to see the red hair in the courtyard to know it was Fred and George standing there.

His palms were sweating as he started shoving his way forward again. He tried to focus on getting to the front of the crowd and seeing what was happening, not dwelling on the image of either of the twins in pain or what whip marks would look like on their skin.

By the time Neville reached the front of the gathered crowd, he was having trouble breathing.

For the first time since they started talking about it, he almost hoped they would leave.

Except it felt worse when they actually did, sneering at Umbridge and taking flight with barely a look back. Neville was left standing in a crowd of students and professors, watching his lovers fly away on brooms, having abandoned school for whatever fate awaited them outside of it. Having left him behind.

And that, he supposed, was that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always been sorta curious, considering the essays comparing Peter and Neville across the generations if Neville ever actually thought about Peter and found himself comparing them (the hanger on of the three more talented friends, especially considering how Harry, Ron and Hermione treated him during the first few years. At least by this point he has Luna and in this fic the twins).


	6. I Never Thought it Would Survive

The next time Neville saw Fred and George, he was still recovering from his injuries at the Ministry of Magic and they were wearing dragon skin coats.

He stepped down from the Hogwarts Express and froze, because he had not planned on seeing them again anytime soon. They had apparently parted ways, as he believed they always would have once the twins had graduated, and he tried to look away and hurry to meet his gran.

He wished his chest wouldn’t swell, or that he wanted to laugh at their gaudy coats, which they somehow managed to look ridiculously attractive in anyway.  It wasn’t really his place to notice that anymore.

Except it seemed they had been waiting for him and before he had taken more than a few steps away, they peeled away from their family and Harry, one falling into step on either side of him. “Lo, Neville,” George said, Fred on his other side. “Hey, where are you hurrying off to?”

“My gran,” Neville said. “What do you want?”

“Your nose,” Fred said, fingers going to his chin and turning his face around. “You broke it?”

“It’s been healed fine,” Neville protested. “What do you want?”

He could feel the twins staring at him before they shuffled him off to the side, ducking behind one of the pillars and standing mostly in shadow. Neville wondered how many people had watched them go, the twin’s jackets being as flashy as they were.

“We missed you,” George said, “Didn’t we Fred?”

“Indeed we did,” Fred said, eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, what do we want?”

Neville swallowed, standing between them again and it felt like it had for months except it was different now, wasn’t it?

Wasn’t it? He repeated to himself again.

“Well,” he said. “You left. And you’re not at Hogwarts anymore, it just… I thought… You didn’t even say goodbye,” he snapped, because he had been nursing that hurt for a month, a final month of rattling around Hogwarts with Umbridge and the OWLS and his wounded heart. “You left me there and didn’t say goodbye what was I supposed to think? It was just a schoolboy affair anyway, wasn’t it? You have your shop now, a business, and I’m still in Hogwarts, so that’s it, isn’t it?”

Fred and George stared at him. “You thought it was over?” George asked.

“Isn’t it?” Neville asked, more quietly.

“Damn, no,” Fred said. “That wasn’t… we wanted to send a letter but the censors… we were still working a way around it…”

“You could have said, hey, Neville, we’re still on at least!” Neville almost yelled and he paused, grabbing the front of Fred’s shirt and shaking him slightly, angrier at the idea they had left him without looking back without intending to end the affair. “What were you doing then? What were you thinking?”

“We didn’t realize you were thinking that,” George said, a hand on top of Neville’s on Fred’s shirt.

“I never thought it would survive Hogwarts,” Neville said quietly, looking down, hand twitching but not drawing back yet.

“Come back with us,” Fred said. “We have an apartment, it’s over the shop, come stay with us.”

“My gran,” Neville said, disentangling from Fred and pulling his hand from under George’s. “I need,” and he flickered his eyes up and down. “I’ll talk to you later.” He almost ran away from them, his gran already annoyed at not being able to find him.

“And you broke your wand,” she said. “We’ll have to come and buy a new one in a few days. Your father’s wand, Neville.”

“I know,” he said, Trevor trying to jump out of his pocket so he clutched the toad to his chest. “I’m sorry.” The pride he had gotten from standing with Harry at the ministry had hollowed out into a sick feeling in his stomach. He wanted to lay down in a room entirely his own for a while, not thinking about anything. Then he might be able to deal with the new concept that Fred and George still wanted him.

-0-

An owl came the next morning, dropping a letter off for Neville while he ate breakfast with his gran, listening to her talk about the flowers she grew in the windowsill.

Augusta frowned over at him. “Who’s it from?”

“Fred and George Weasley,” Neville said, not having to open it.

“The twins?” Augusta asked, clearly in some surprise. “I thought it was the youngest boy, Ronald, who was in your year.”

“It is,” Neville said, turning the letter over, and still not wanting to open it. “We’ve become friends,” he said, not quite a lie. “They were talking to me about helping out in the shop,” he said. “Maybe staying with them for a while.” He actually wasn’t certain if that was what the letter was asking, though he suspected it was. Mostly he wanted to see how Augusta would react to him spending time away from the house, possibly even time at night. Usually during the summer he knocked around the house and helped her with the garden and not much else. She had her own social calendar and tasks and did not change it just because he came home for the summer.

She frowned across the breakfast table at him. “If you would like,” she said finally. “I’m not so sure about those two. They don’t seem so responsible.”

“They are,” Neville protested, though he spoke more to his plate than her.

“Well,” she said after a beat, smearing jam on her toast. “We have to go to Diagon Alley to get you a new wand anyway. We’ll go in a few days.”

“Alright,” Neville said, not hungry anymore and rising from the table. He made sure the door to his room was closed before finally opening the letter, containing what he was certain was both of their hand writing, asking for a reply, for him to come and stay with them.

He penned a hasty reply and walked to the nearest owlery to send it before he retreated to spend the next couple days working in the garden and trying to think of what to say.

-0-

George stood in the shop, drumming his fingers on the counter and watching the door instead of helping Fred, who was aimlessly stocking and straightening shelves. They had hired others to help them with the shop, but it was a weekend, and they were the only ones in the store, which was perfectly on track for its grand opening.

“Is staring at the door going to make him come any faster?” Fred asked, dropping a box on the counter.

“No,” George said. “What did he mean, he thought it was over?”

“I couldn’t say, George,” Fred sighed, leaning against the counter and swishing his wand to float a few products up to some of the highest shelves, which costumers would have to use ladders to reach.

“Did we leave badly?” George asked. Fred shrugged and they were both staring at the door now. Neville had written that this was the day he would come to buy a new wand, and he would stop by. It made them useless for what they were supposed to be doing, in preparation of the grand opening.

“Never really understood,” George started and stopped when Neville gently pushed the door open, his eyes widening as he looked up. He stared around the store, mouth hanging open for a moment, taking in the bright labels and the high ceilings full of products before his eyes dropped down to where Fred and George were watching him.

“Hi,” he said quietly, clutching a wand still in his hands and they were both moving at once to drag him into a two sided embrace, ignoring the way he stiffened slightly.

“Glad you came,” Fred said.

“Good to see you,” George chirped and laughed, ruffling Neville’s hair to his indignation.

“Well,” Augusta said, having followed her grandson inside and the twins tilted their heads back enough to look at her without releasing Neville. She was looking around the shop without the same wide eyed look of shock they were going for, but nor was she paying too much attention to the way the twins were draped over her grandson. “I suppose you must have worked hard on this.”

“We like it,” George said happily.

Neville was trying to smooth down his hair still, his gran looking around and finally seeming to notice the way the twins were hanging off her grandson. “You don’t mind lending us Neville, do you?” Fred asked and Neville almost elbowed him for the grin he was giving his grandmother. The other option was to sink into the ground. 

“No,” she said finally once George and Fred had both disentangled from Neville.

“Don’t worry, we’ll give him back in a few days,” Fred said, with a grin that did not affect Augusta Longbottom. She gave him a look before pulling Neville a little to the side, giving him a few short instructions before leaving.

“Not a warm woman, your gran,” Fred remarked and Neville opened his mouth, to protest or agree but he did not have the chance to do either when George swooped down, grabbing his chin and tilting his head back enough to kiss him.

“We should talk,” George said, when he pulled back and Fred hung off his shoulder, both of them watching Neville.

“You could show me around first,” Neville said and George’s eyes flickered back to Fred before nodding. Each of the twins took one of Neville’s hands, and he finally stowed his wand to allow that.

“You got a new wand then?” George asked, already leading Neville over to the nearest display.

“Yeah,” he said, rocking forward on his heels before settling. “It’s unicorn hair with cherry wood. I, I really like it. It feels right in my hand,” he said, almost ashamed to admit he liked this wand more than his father’s, but it felt right, like they belonged together. Even holding the wand in the shop, he had felt more capable of any spell.

“You’ll have to practice with it, later,” Fred said. “Show it off and all that.”

“We’re not supposed to use magic, remember?” Neville said and George almost winced at the pointed reminder that one of them was in school.

Fred shrugged with a laugh. “Alright, alright.” He used his other hand to point up. “You’ll recognize the canary custards up there,” and Neville laughed.

For a while they walked around the store, pointing out products and chattering about whether they had invented them or simply modified them and where they might have originally came from. “Of course, not everything out yet,” Fred added. “A couple more weeks.”

“It’s wonderful,” Neville said, letting out a long breath and all three felt the conversation they were supposed to be having hanging over their heads.

“We should show you the puffs,” George said instead, dragging Neville toward the back. “The cages are out of course but they’re all still in the back where we’re breeding them.”

“You’re breeding animals?” Neville asked, alarm creeping into his voice. “Isn’t that… bad?”

“They’re totally harmless,” Fred said. “I mean, all they do is purr and cuddle. And eat, I suppose.”

Neville still looked unsure until George threw open the door of the back pen where the puffs lived and his entire face lit up. “Oh,” Neville managed and reached a hand out before he drew it back. All the pygmy puffs had turned their small faces toward the door when it opened and there was a chittering sound as several bounced over. “Oh,” he repeated and the twins grinned at each other over his head.

“Cute, aren’t they?” George said and Neville bent down, a pink one jumping into his hands.

“Yes,” he agreed and jumped when the ball of fuzz started to make a soft, almost purring sound.

“Ah, she likes you,” Fred said, a finger coming out to stroke the top of the puff’s head.

“You can have one,” George added and Neville jumped.

“No,” he said, a little too quickly. “I mean, Harry might not laugh straight up but the other boys certainly would. Besides,” and he looked a little guilty. “I have Trevor already. I can’t take two pets to school.”

Fred and George glanced at each other and then grinned back at Neville. “Come on,” George said, pulling him back into the shop, the puff still in his hand. “We’ll show you the adoption ceremony.”

“You have a ceremony?” Neville asked, still holding the small pink bundle in his hands.

“Of course,” Fred said as George rang the bell. “We may be a joke shop, but people should know they’re buying a living thing.”

“It’s sorta to guilt them into keeping it,” George said. “Think up a name.”

“What?” Neville asked, glad no one else was there to see him put on the spot. “Uh, Jenny, I guess?” he said, having opened his mouth to say Alice as the first woman’s name to pop into his head before he realized how awful it would be to hear or say that name every day.

George rang the bell at the counter again, launching into a speech about how Neville here had decided to adopt a pygmy puff today and how he wanted everyone to clap to celebrate the moment. Behind Neville, Fred clapped as loudly as he could and whistled, as Neville laughed a little helplessly. “Hopefully there would be more people, of course,” George added, leaning his elbows against the counter.

“I thought I just said I couldn’t take two pets,” Neville said, though he held the puff still against his chest, and she made no attempt to escape like Trevor often did. Instead she cuddled closer and purred.

“She can live here,” Fred said. “For when you come over.”

Neville tensed for a moment, finally looking up at Fred. “That would mean I would be coming over a lot.”

“Yeah,” George agreed.

“Are you sure?” Neville asked, ducking his head back down to look at Jenny, who seemed still content to rumble against his chest.

“Nev,” Fred started.

“I thought it was a school fling,” Neville said.

“We never said it was,” George protested.

“Well you never said it wasn’t either!” Neville snapped and shrank back almost the next moment. “I just… I just assumed. I mean, I’m going back to Hogwarts for another two years and you’re going to be here. That’s, it’s different. I won’t be able to see you.”

“We could just make it work,” George said carefully. “On breaks and stuff.”

“It’s not really fair to you, though,” Neville said, still looking down. “I mean…”

“Lots of people make long distance work,” Fred said. “I mean, so I’ve heard. It’s worth a shot, isn’t it? Unless you want it to be over.”

Neville let out a hurt breath. “No,” he admitted, and raised one hand to stroke the fur on Jenny’s back. “I don’t. But you left, without telling me, without saying goodbye. And we’d never talked. What was I supposed to think that last month?”

“That we were right bastards,” George said. “Sorry. We weren’t really thinking.”

Neville finally looked back up. “Are you sure about this?”

“Aren’t you?” Fred asked, running a hand along the top of Neville’s shoulders and he shuddered at the touch, missed so much the last month.

“Your dragon skin coats,” he said finally, instead of directly answering. “Are ridiculous, just so you know.”

“You think they were hot,” George said in a sing song voice and Neville choked on a laugh when Fred spun him around to slam their mouths together. Neville carefully cradled Jenny, neck tilted awkwardly into the kiss.

“Come upstairs,” George said, pulling on Neville’s hand. “We’ll get Jenny set up somewhere.”

“And?” Neville asked a little breathlessly as George spun him around into a kiss, Fred pressed against his back.

Fred laughed against his shoulder, hands already sliding down to his hips. “No one’s looking for us. No one is going to walk in,” and Neville’s breath caught, George nuzzling against his cheek and Jenny trapped somewhere between all of them. “And we have excellent sound proofing. Wanna try it in a bed?”

Neville let out a strangled sound and George led him up the stairs. “Here,” he said, pointing to a side room with a couch. “Jenny can be safe in here for now.”

“Will she have food?” Neville asked and Fred chuckled, breath against the back of Neville’s neck.

“Trust us,” he said. “We’ll go over the whole puff care thing later she’ll be fine for now. Let her get used to her new home up here.”

“Alright,” Neville agreed, setting the pygmy puff down and watching as she hurried under the couch and let out a quiet chirp. He took a moment to gather his thoughts back up before turning around and back into the twin’s embrace. “I missed you,” he murmured and George pressed him into the wall, fingers inching up underneath his sweater vest.

“Missed you too,” George said, tilting his head back with the force of his kiss and for a moment Fred left them to it, George coaxing Neville’s mouth open and the line of their bodies pressed together. When Neville moaned and wrapped his arms around George’s neck, Fred moved forward again, tugging them as a pair off from the wall and stripping Neville’s vest off from behind, breaking the kiss for a moment.

Neville shifted to lean back against Fred without breaking the kiss again as Fred unbuttoned his shirt.

“Oh,” Neville managed, eyes dark because they had never had the time or space or even light to be fully naked together before. Realizing that it was now possible, he fumbled at George’s clothes desperate.

“Bed,” George murmured, though he helped Fred with the last of the buttons and they slid Neville’s shirt off together in the hallway, sunlight streaming in through the windows that were spelled to see the outside but not let the outside see in.

Neville had a second to be nervous before he let them both sweep him away.

The twins had him undressed before he even managed to get either of them all the way out of their shirts. They had taken to wearing pinstripe suits and dragon skin jackets, but both Fred and George had been in shirtsleeves when he arrived, working alone as they had been in the store.

“Unfair,” he gasped, finally getting George’s shirt all the way off, and too focused on getting them undressed to dwell on standing naked before them.

George nuzzled up against his neck and laughed, breath caught between them. “We never claimed to be fair,” he said, trailing his fingers down Neville’s spine before pushing him back against the bed.

“What,” Neville started and Fred threw his shirt away before stripping his belt from his pants. “Oh,” Neville said, low and almost a moan in itself as he watched them, eyes darting between the pair as they threw off their pants.

Once naked, they took a moment to let him stare, eyes dark and mouth dropped open before both of the twins pounced, tackling him back against the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The pygmy puff adoption is very much based on the one at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter which is actually really adorable and also with Trevor's constant escape attempts I think Neville should have a pet that purrs at him and likes to cuddle.


	7. Never Too Early for Something Like That

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... It's been over a year and I honestly can't believe that. Whoops?

The first morning Neville woke up blearily, trying to figure out why he wasn't either at his Gran's or Hogwarts until George moved against his back, his arm draped lazily along Neville's back.

“Oh,” he murmured and burrowed back into the warmth between the two of them.

“Too early,” Fred protested weakly. “Why are we moving?”

“Um,” Neville started and George was kissing the back of his neck, making him squeak and lean back.

“Because round three sounds like a great idea,” George said and that seemed to get Fred's attention.

“Oh, why didn't you say so? It's never too early for something like that.”

Neville squeaked again when George's hand stroked down his chest, tracing along his stomach and then lower. “But, morning breath,” Neville started to protest as Fred kissed him and it was substantially less awful than he'd always worried it would be, if a bit stale.

“Fine, fine,” George mumbled, turning over to fumble his wand from the bedside to perform teeth cleaning charms for all of them. After that he rolled back into the pile, wrapping himself around Neville's back again.

Fred had gone back to kissing him, hands trailing lower until George's joined his and both twins wrapped their hands around Neville's cock. He jerked between them, burying his face in Fred's shoulder.

“We should convince Fred later,” George said into Neville's ear. “That penetration is fun.”

Neville jerked again and bit back a laugh.

“It looks fun,” Fred said. “Doing it's fun.”

“Feeling it's different,” Neville said.

“We'll just have to experiment,” George said and bit his ear and Neville moaned his agreement.

-0-

Neville stayed for a week at first.

They spent the week alternating between setting up the shops downstairs, and spending hours in the apartment upstairs. After hiding around Hogwarts and sneaking moments underneath stairways and hidden passages, the freedom to spread out and take their time in bed distracted them from most other thoughts.

“You don’t have to go back you know,” Fred said, on the day Neville was to return to his gran’s.

“Yes, I do,” Neville said. “I’ll come back.”

“The grand opening is next week,” George said from where he was leaning against the counter. “We do expect you to be there.”

Neville smiled and it felt easy to lean across the counter and kiss George. “How would I miss it?”

“Jenny is going to miss you,” Fred said, sulking and Neville gave him a kiss too.

In fact, Neville barely managed to stay away until then, and by the second week of July, he had moved into the twin’s apartment more or less for the rest of the summer. The store was already stuffed full of people, desperate for happiness or something to distract themselves from the growing darkness and rumors.

“Can’t they hire help?” Augusta asked, one night when Neville returned home for dinner.

“Yeah,” he said, staring at the plate in front of him, and not adding that she never seemed to entirely care if he was there or not until he was not. “I like staying there,” he said. “They’re my friends and I like being useful.”

She hummed, sipping her tea. “And you’re finishing your school work?”

“Yeah,” he said, and looked down again because at least the OWLS results had not arrived yet. He felt a little sick thinking about them.

She nodded, seeming to accept that and he took the Floo network back that evening to be greeted with Fred and George engulfing him and twirling him around the apartment’s living room to jaunty music from the radio.

“We noticed you at the Yule Ball,” George said, spinning Neville around and his mood from earlier that night faded away.

“I wish we had more excuses to dance,” Neville admitted as Fred swept him up and pulled him around the room in a step too quick to be a waltz. “At school, I mean,” and he laughed because the twins had moved to hold hands around him, moving in slow circles and forcing Neville to move with them.

“We’ll just make some up for you,” Fred said.

-0-

Neville’s birthday started something of a fight.

“Of course I’m going to have to spend it with my family,” Neville said, jaw tight as he held Jenny, who was not getting along with Trevor. Luckily, they had claimed different parts of the apartment, Jenny living under the couch and on top of the kitchen cupboards, and Trevor more or less sticking to the stairs and bathroom, where Neville left the sink sometimes full for him.

“You could spend it with us,” Fred said.

“And that will be explained away with that we’re just friends for sure,” Neville muttered. “They’re my family. There are certain obligations and everyone is coming.”

“Including the uncle who almost drowned you?” George asked, instead of insisting that a person wasn’t supposed to be obligated to their family.

The look Neville gave him was not impressed. “Yes, Great Uncle Algie will be there. It’s my birthday. The one time my family bothers to get together outside of Christmas, I can’t just miss it.”

“Will you at least come back that night so we can celebrate together?” George asked instead of pressing anymore and he held a hand against Fred’s chest to try and stop him too.

“I probably can’t,” Neville admitted, looking down.

Fred's hands curled and uncurled. “Fine,” he ground out, angrier than George who had sat down and crossed his legs.

“It's not your choice, you know,” Neville said. “I know you don't approve of my family—”

“They're hardly a family!” Fred yelled and Neville stood up and left.

Jenny trilled at him as he stormed to the fireplace but he was so angry and hurt he ignored her.

-0-

He came back two days after his birthday, entering the front of the shop near closing time. Fred spotted him first and left the middle of his conversation with a customer to drift over. “You're a git.”

“You insulted my family,” Neville said and Fred almost smiled.

“Yeah, okay. One of these days we're going to drag you to a Wesley gathering and you're going to see what you've been missing.”

Neville blinked and then smiled. “Okay,” he said softly and George clapped his hands to declare closing time. It still took them too long to chase all the costumers out.

“The alley is changing,” Neville said softly as they walked upstairs. “The kidnappings, the darkness—”

“We're going to be safe,” George said. “We're not blind.”

“But still busy,” Neville said.

“People just want some brightness in this dark time,” Fred said, pressing his hand to the small of Neville's back.

“And relationships?” Neville asked, unsure if he was teasing or not.

“They brighten the place up quite a bit,” George agreed.

-0-

One morning Neville was sitting in their kitchen while eating toast, George reading the newspaper with a frown when Fred came down the short stairs leading to the bedroom.

“So I've been reading,” he said, Neville the first to look up.

“About what?” George asked.

Fred crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame, smirking. “Ever hear about double penetration?”

Neville froze, the toast halfway to his mouth which had dropped open as his mind tried to imagine what that meant. “Um?” he managed, George slowly swiveling his head to look at him, eyes bright. “No? But I mean... yes? We can, yes,” he finished a little more firmly.

“Merlin's balls yes,” George added and grabbed Neville's hand, pulling him up and toward Fred.

-0-

Looking back, Neville couldn't keep most of the summer straight, most of it spent in the twin's bed or down in the store. One day toward the start of the school year, Harry and Hermione and Ron showed up. Neville squeaked and ducked behind a display.

“What's this then?” George asked when he turned the corner and found him.

“Sorry,” Neville mumbled. “I over reacted and now I'm not sure how to come out without looking weird.”

George peered around the corner, smirking and waving at Ron who was glowering at Fred. “You could just be here shopping, you know.”

“Yes, I realized that after I'd already hidden,” Neville admitted.

“Come on Nev,” George said and slid his arm around Neville's waist for a second before remembering himself and Neville's aversion to public touch. “Let me show you around the store.”

He'd taken Neville on half a circuit around the bottom part of the store when Ginny spotted them. “Nev!” she called brightly and George melted away to leave Neville with his friends. “It's good to see you,” she said, throwing her arms around him and he smiled, slipping his own around her waist.

“Having a good summer?” he asked.

“It's been okay,” she said, shadows in her eyes and Neville nodded. He might have been able to forget when he was wrapped up in George and Fred, but every time he looked out the window he was reminded of the empty streets.

“School will be interesting this year,” he said. “I wonder what disaster we'll face this time.”

She laughed, tucking her hair behind one ear and her eyes were still dark. “Who knows? Have you seen these pygmy puffs? Aren't they adorable?”

Neville thought of Jenny and tried to contain his smile as he realized what spur of the moment name he had come up with. “They are,” he agreed. “I think they even have an adoption ceremony for them.”

Ginny pulled a face. “Do you think they'd make me do that?”

“Certainly,” Neville grinned.

-0-

 

Neville managed to be morose on the Hogwart's Express just long enough for Luna to slide her arm inside his. “Miss them already?” she asked.

“I hope I'm not that obvious,” he said, holding her arm closer.

“Only to me, dear,” she said patting his elbow.

“We'll try something at Christmas,” Neville said, hoping no disaster hit like it had the year before.

“Like a real couple,” Luna said in sing song and then frowned. “Except...”

“Please don't,” Neville said and managed to plaster a smile on his face when they spotted Harry moving down the train toward them.

They managed somehow to make small talk, even though it was obvious that all of their minds were somewhere else, Harry's possibly more so than usual.

“You know,” Luna said, when she looked up from her Quibbler. “One of the hallmarks of couples is that people know about them.”

“There are several things wrong with that statement,” Neville decided. “Just because people aren't public doesn't make it any less legitimate.”

“What?” Harry asked, looking up and seeming to focus on them for the first time in at least half an hour.

“What?” Neville asked, hoping he wasn't blushing.

Harry blinked at him. “Who's in a couple?”

“No one,” Neville said, which was technically true. “Just, uh, discussing it.”

“Oh,” Harry said. “Couples are sorta weird, aren't they?”

“Very weird,” Neville agreed because he wanted to hide his face.

Which got incredibly worse when the invitation to Slughorn's party came.

-0-

After the year before with Dumbledore's Army, Neville hadn't expected things to almost go back to normal. There was actually no reason for the DA and Harry, if possible, was more distracted than in the past. The other members drifted away without the common club to hold them together and Neville tried not to mourn.

Instead he focused on the letters that arrived periodically, both the twins writing in bright purple and green inks, full of anecdotes and stories from the shop, plans to expand to Hogsmeade and pictures of Jenny.

Sometimes there were even packages, discreetly wrapped in brown paper instead of the usual bright Wesley's Wizarding Wheezes packaging.

“Who do you keep getting mail from?” Hermione asked, beside him one morning at breakfast.

“What?” he asked, because there was a picture of Jenny on Fred's chest as he sprawled out asleep on the couch. She swayed back and forth in the photo as his chest rose and fell.

“It's more than usual,” Hermione said. “I mean, it's not my business, but I'm curious.”

“I joined a pen pal organization this summer,” Neville said and she raised her brows.

“Really?”

“It seemed like something to take my mind off things,” Neville said and she paused before patting his shoulder. He wanted to twitch his shoulder away but smiled instead.

 

 


	8. That Means I'll Need Another One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited the train scene in the previous chapter because it helps so much to actually reread the books before writing this fic because hello details. 
> 
> Anyway more meshing of movie and book canons. Neville is barely in Sixth year in the books or movies.

Slughorn invited him to the next two parties and then seemed to finally decide he wasn't worth what his parents were.

Neville had been careful during the parties to not look and see if his parent's pictures were on the table. He wasn't sure how he would feel one way or the other and just decided not to bother.

And yet even though he had been rejected from the club, Slughorn still flagged him down one day close to Christmas break. “Say there, Longbottom,” Slughorn said and despite being greeted by name, Neville still looked over his shoulder in confusion to see who Slughorn was calling. “I was wondering if you could do me a favor.”

“Erm,” Neville said. “A favor?”

“I'm throwing a Christmas party,” Slughorn said and Neville nodded. “And sadly I've found myself short staffed.”

“That's horrible,” Neville said, hoping he sounded at least a little sincere.

“I was actually wondering if you might be willing to help out?” Slughorn said, and Neville just stared.

“I—” and Slughorn was already patting his shoulder.

“Thank you, Longbottom,” Slughorn said already moving away.

Neville was still trying to decide if he really minded or not when the tray was shoved at him and he was told to take the appetizers around the party.

Luna however, minded. “What are you doing?” she asked, and even though her dreamy voice was layered with annoyance, Neville still smiled to see her in her bright tinsel dress.

“Luna, you look lovely.” Neville looked around. “Where did Harry go?”

Luna gripped his arm and pulled him with her. “You shouldn't be serving people, Neville.”

“Slughorn said he needed the help,” Neville protested.

“Take that off,” Luna said. “And put that down.”

“But Luna,” Neville started and she stared at him.

“Neville,” she said. “Harry's gone somewhere which means I'm here without anyone. So you should dance with me.”

Neville felt something in his chest turn over. “Technically neither of us were invited,” he said.

“Oh well,” Luna grinned at him and she tossed the uniform shirt he had been wearing into one of the floating lanterns, leaving him in the button down he had one underneath it. “Not too formal,” she said, and took his hands.

Much like the Yule Ball, Slughorn's party had started to turn into more of a free for all as the students got restless with the sedate music and appetizers. Now the middle of the room was turning into a dance floor and Neville let Luna pull him along into the floor.

-0-

“Christmas is going to be crazy,” George said, Neville having met them at the shop on the second day of break. “Mom is already insisting we have to be there starting now, even though the house is crazy crowded.”

“I am going to murder someone,” Fred said, appearing at his side despite the rush of people in the store.

“Christmas rush?” Neville asked innocently.

“After we're doing with Christmas,” Fred said. “We'll be able to stay here again. Mum is just nuts about having us all there to do the traditional stuff.”

“I think it makes her forget Percy isn't there,” George said. “So we gotta pick up the slack.”

“So you're spending each night at the Burrow?” Neville asked, even though he was just happy to see them again. He wanted to rest his head against their chests and just hold on.

“Oh for the love of—” Fred said, his attention taken by the small fire that had just started.

“You should go put that out,” Neville said. “Just survive Christmas, you know?”

“Holiday rushes,” George muttered and was pulled away too. Neville ducked his head and waited, watching the not-so-controlled chaos around him, as Fred and George frantically tried to keep their store standing.

They were one of the only stores still open in Diagon Alley and Neville tried not to think about that as he left a few hours later, having sneaked upstairs to pet Jenny.

-0-

On Christmas he woke up to a huge package on his bed and he tried to shove it under his bed before his gran came up to see him. Even so he felt a little glow in his chest that did not dim through out the day, even as his relatives talked over his head and gave him gifts that made him want to wince instead of smile.

Then he and his gran went to St. Mungo's like every year and he accepted the new wrapper and the broken hairbrush his mother pressed on him.

Instead of going to bed he waited until his gran was asleep before pulling the box back out. It was packed with their products, mostly the anti-Dark Arts line and he couldn't help but smile at the tiny canary custard set perfectly on top.

He was just closing the box back up when there were two loud pops. Startling he looked up to see Fred and George standing in his bed room. “What?” he managed as George dropped to his knees beside him, throwing his arms around him.

“You're smoking,” Neville said and Fred cast a spell to silence the room before falling down next to his brother and hold on to Neville too. “What happened?”

“Sorry,” Fred said.

“Our house burned down,” George said.

“The Burrow,” Fred added. “Not the store. Death Eaters.”

“We'll start rebuilding tomorrow,” George said and Neville just twisted around and threw his free arm around Fred, tugging him closer.

“But tonight,” Fred said.

“I'm glad you're here,” Neville said, and somehow they all ended up jammed into his small bed.

The twins left before dawn to return home before anyone missed them or Neville's gran came up the stairs.

-0-

Neville tried unsuccessfully to convince his gran to let him stay at Diagon Alley a few nights before break ended.

“It's dangerous,” she said. “And I'm not sure how I feel about those two.”

“They're successful aren't they?” Neville asked.

“Yes,” Augusta said. “But it's not a very... respectable way to be successful is it?”

“Ollivander is a respected shop owner,” Neville said.

“He makes wands not joke products,” his gran said.

“They're my friends,” Neville said and hoped he didn't sound desperate.

“You need to focus on your schoolwork,” she said and Neville nodded, retreating upstairs. He tried not to feel resentful.

-0-

He didn't see the twins again until late winter on Ron's birthday.

“We don't have a lot of time,” Fred said, catching him in the hallway.

“What are you two doing here?” Neville asked, grinning broadly because this felt like an unexpected treat and he wanted to treasure it for however long he had.

“We were coming to see Ron,” George said. “Didn't expect it to in the hospital wing but there you go.”

“Happens sometimes,” Fred said and they both looked drawn. “We were in the area and thought we'd surprise, well, both of you, for different reasons.”

“I'm glad you came,” Neville said.

“We were actually in Hogsmeade,” George said and they started to walk toward the hospital wing.

“Yeah?” Neville asked, because Zunko's had been closed last time the students had been allowed to the village.

“We were thinking of expanding out here,” Fred said and there was something about the way he looked at Neville when he said it that made Neville's breath come a little short.

“Not that it would do us a lot of good if no one else could come out,” George said.

“I'm sure restrictions will, well, change at some point,” Neville mumbled.

“It's good to see you,” Fred said, and touched Neville's cheek before he dropped his hand quickly.

“Say hi to Ron,” Neville said, and kept walking to leave them with their brother.

-0-

Easter Break felt too long, because Neville was once again barred from spending too much time at Diagon Alley.

“I mean, it shouldn't be that unexpected,” he said, when they had closed the store and he needed to be home soon.

“That your gran doesn't like us or that she's worried?” George asked and Neville was trying not to stare at where he had taken off the suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves.

“This,” Neville started and sighed. “We knew it was going to be hard with me still in school. If you want—”

“No we don't,” Fred cut him off quickly. “We'll wait it out.”

“The world is changing,” Neville said. “Who knows what waiting will bring?”

“You find someone else catching your eye?” George asked and Neville just stared at him.

“No,” he said. “But if you do—”

“Let's not give each other permission for wandering eyes,” Fred said. “Let's just see what happens.”

“Okay,” Neville said. “I should go before gran starts to worry—”

But he got home late because both twins had pulled him in for kisses and wouldn't let him leave until they had an equal number.

“No fair, Fred, you got the first kiss, you don't get the last one too.”

“I just can't help it, you see. I think I feel another one coming on already.”

“Both of you,” Neville protested as Fred kissed him again, arms twined around his waist.

“Oh, that means I need another one,” George said and they finally settled the score by trying to kiss him the same time. Neville had to wait a few extra minuted before flooing home to get his laughter under control.

-0-

The next time he saw the twins he was in the hospital wing. He'd kept his eyes closed when he heard others enter, pretending to be asleep. With how much he hurt he wished he could just fall asleep.

But he kept replaying the battle in his mind, the Death Eaters in Hogwarts, Snape dragging Malfoy with him along the corridor and Neville had been on the floor, only able to watch. All the jinxes and killing curses that had just missed him, and yet he had still gone down, sprawled over the floor for Harry to trip over.

And Bill, whose face had been torn up trying to protect the students.

And Dumbledore...

He opened his eyes when he felt the side of his bed dip, Fred's hand resting on the edge. “You are awake,” he whispered.

“How's Bill?” Neville asked.

“He'll be okay,” George said, sitting down next to Fred when he moved a chair over so they could sit on the same side. “We think.”

“I'm sorry,” Neville said.

“For what?” Fred frowned. “You're pretty beat up yourself, huh?”

“Shouldn't you be with Bill?” Neville whispered, but the wing was dark and it seemed like most everyone had gone already, except Fleur and Mr. and Mrs. Wesley.

“He'll be okay without us a few minutes,” George said. “Got his fiancee and everything.”

Neville swallowed and ached. “Still.”

“Sh,” Fred said, and stroked a hand over his hair. “We're glad you're going to be okay too.”

Neville fell asleep with them both sitting there.

-0-

He had been discharged from the hospital wing but still had trouble walking on his own the day of Dumbledore's funeral. “It's such a nice day,” he said, uncomfortable, as he leaned on Luna. They were the only two members of the old DA who fought in the battle, and while they were not the only students, they were the only ones who had not been in Harry's immediate circle during the year.

“It is,” Luna agreed, and she carefully helped him into a seat so he wouldn't have to use a cane.

He felt ancient as he sat under the sun and watched Dumbledore's eulogy.

His eyes strayed to where the twins sat, in black dragon skin coats and wished he could block them out. This was a day for sorrow, not ogling his lovers who he had barely seen in a year.

“You miss them,” Luna said, when the service was over, echoing her words at the beginning of the year.

“It's just one more year,” Neville said. “If we get through that, who knows what will happen.”

She smiled, strained, and patted his arm. “It will be different here next year.”

“Yes,” Neville agreed because without Dumbledore who knew what might happen, let alone the gathering shadows.

“Keep in touch this summer,” Luna said and for the first time she sounded worried.

“I will,” Neville promised softly.

“Be careful, Neville,” she said and he smiled, holding her close for a moment.

The twins caught him before they reached the castle. “Bill is getting married in August,” Fred said, and there were lines on both of their faces.

“I'm glad it's still on,” Neville said and meant it.

“Yeah,” George agreed.

“We're still going to see you,” Fred promised.

“No matter how we can manage it.”

“If you still want to,” Fred added, something hesitant in his voice, as if they were remembering how last summer had started.

“Yes,” Neville said, still leaning on Luna and it felt too intimate, because people were streaming around them, and Dumbledore's tomb was down by the lake and the sun was beating down on them so they parted then.

 


	9. Who Else Knows We're Dating?

“I've gone for almost fifteen whole years of my life without sex,” Neville said. “Why is it so hard now?”

“Because you know what you're missing,” Fred said, and even though it was the middle of the day he had his arm thrown over Neville's waist, the bed bathed in sunlight.

“Because we're just that great,” George added, nuzzling his nose against Neville's shoulder.

“I can't believe you closed down the shop,” Neville added.

“It was our day off,” Fred protested. “We still get to have those.”

“We have employees now,” George added. “Which is going to be good in a few more weeks. Between the Order and mum things are crazy.”

“But you won't talk about the Order,” Neville said, sounding tired.

Fred sighed first, kissing Neville's shoulder blade. “Sorry. Age, blah blah, secrets, safety of those we care about, so on and so forth.”

“Right,” Neville said.

“Neville,” George started.

“I'll be of age this months,” Neville said.

“You'll still be in school,” Fred pointed out. “Not that I've asked anyone what the actual requirements of joining the Order are of course but—”

“Presumably out of school,” Neville said. He twined his hand with George's. “I'm worried about you. The rumors—the paper is saying almost nothing of course but everyone knows to be scared. The Ministry is trying to sound strong but—”

“It's very weak right now,” Fred murmured and he burrowed his face down into the skin between Neville's shoulder blades. “We don't know how long it will stand.”

“And if it doesn't stand, how safe will Hogwarts be?” Neville asked and George compulsively tightened his grip on his hand.

“If it's dangerous, you shouldn't go back,” he said.

Neville made a noncommittal sound. “You're putting yourselves in dangers. Don't try to tell me you're not, I don't want you to lie to me about it.”

“That,” Fred started.

“It's not different,” Neville said. “We don't know what will happen in the next month and a half anyway.”

“In a few days,” George said. “We're going to have to do something. Can't tell you what of course, but—”

“It'll be dangerous,” Neville finished for him.

“We'll see you afterwards,” Fred promised and Neville rolled over covering his mouth with his. George's hands trailed down his sides, and any exhaustion he might have felt was washed away by the wave of fear.

“Promise?” Neville asked, even knowing it was pointless.

“We'll see you afterwards,” George said, and it sounded like a promise.

-0-

Neville waited. He'd gotten a brief letter and heard nothing since. They were alive, he knew, and nothing more.

He tried not to dwell on it during his birthday. Everyone who came could tell he wasn't really focused but they were distracted by their own fear too. All the talk through the day was about the growing darkness. Even receiving his watch from his gran only earned a subdued thank you.

“There's been rumors about Hogwarts,” his great-uncle said.

“There's always rumors about Hogwarts,” Augusta said.

“But with Dumbledore gone—”

Neville focused all his attention on the watch, eyes following the stars when he opened it. The cake had already been eaten and he didn't have that to distract him anymore.

“I'm going back,” he said, as his family dissolved into an argument about whether students should return or not.

“Excuse me?” his gran asked.

“One way or another,” Neville said, looking up. “I'm going back to school in September.”

“It could be dangerous,” his great-uncle said.

“School often is,” Neville said and smiled to remember his detention in first year in the Forbidden Forest. “But I refuse to give into the fear. I will go back to school and complete my education.”

His gran's frown made his stomach clench.

-0-

He was almost asleep, the watch chain curled around one hand when a stone hit his window. Startling up, he swallowed a horrified sound before rising and moving to the window. “Hey,” Fred called up, and they were both wearing their shirtsleeves like they'd been working all day.

“Hey,” Neville called softly back down.

“Happy birthday,” George said. “Come down, please?”

Neville hesitated before quickly throwing on muggle clothing instead of his robes. He checked for his gran on his way down but she usually went to bed even before he did.

“Aren't we supposed to check that we're really who we're supposed to be?” Neville asked, entering the back yard. He came to a complete stop when he caught sight of George.

“Who else knows we're dating?” Fred asked.

“What happened?” Neville demanded, teasing gone as he stared at where George's ear had been.

George shifted. “I think it makes me saintlike.”

“What?” Neville stared at him.

“You know, holy?” George said and Neville was still just gaping at him. “Get it?”

“I,” Neville blinked. “Yes. How did it happen?”

“Order business,” George murmured. “We were moving Harry.”

“Who?” Neville asked, stepping forward and he raised his hand and it hovered over where George's ear had been.

“It's healed well,” George said.

Neville made a soft sound, dropping his hand.

“We came to wish you a happy birthday,” Fred said. “Come on. Let us take you out for your seventeenth.”

“Where?” Neville asked, folding his arms over his chest.

“Hm, good question, isn't It, George?”

“Perfectly good question, Fred,” George said. “There's not a lot of wizard places open anymore. At least not safe ones. The Death Eaters I'm sure still have their haunts but,” he shrugged.

“We're thinking a muggle place,” Fred said. “We got some muggle money and, I mean, it might be safer.”

“Have you ever been to a muggle restaurant before?” Neville asked.

“Well, no,” George said. “It can't be that different, can it?”

“Maybe we'll just make sure not to talk too loud,” Neville allowed after a second.

-0-

The muggle place they chose was in London, out of the way and clearly used to eccentric people wandering in and out. The twins in their matching shirtsleeves and vests got a few looks. “I think we look old fashioned,” Fred said with a frown as they sat down across from Neville, scanning the menu.

“How horrible,” Neville remarked.

“It is,” George said. “We've become quite fashionable, you know.”

“Has Witches Weekly run a piece about you yet?” Neville asked, mostly joking.

“Actually, yes,” Fred said and frowned. “We're apparently considered eligible bachelors now.”

“Are you,” Neville asked with no inflection.

George snorted, burying his face in the menu. “Don't worry, we don't take it seriously.”

“Some witches do,” Neville said.

Both the twins snorted and rolled their eyes. “Please,” Fred said as a waiter approached them.

“Any drinks I can get started for you?” he asked, sounding bored.

“Oh,” Neville instantly buried himself behind the menu again, squinting at the drinks.

George had turned the menu upside down, also squinting at it. The food at least mostly sounded the same but the drinks were totally different. “Orange juice?” he settled for finally.

The waiter considered them. “For all of you?”

“Sure,” Fred said, grinning.

The waiter arched his brows but shrugged, scribbling a note in his pad.

“It's his birthday,” George said, pointing at Neville who instantly turned bright red. “We're out celebrating.”

“A birthday, huh?” the waiter said, took one look at Neville's red face and seemed to come to a decision. “Well, happy birthday,” he said and left.

“Was that necessary?” Neville asked.

“Yeah,” Fred said, and turned his own menu sideways. “Well, it looks like they at least have cake.”

“I've already had cake,” Neville protested.

“It's your birthday, you get more,” Fred said. “Do you know what you want to eat?”

“Um,” Neville said as the waiter returned, followed by a few more of his fellows. Before Neville could react a bright and cheap party hat was plopped on his head and they started singing a song about birthdays to him.

The whole restaurant was staring as the waiting staff sang, and Neville slowly sank down further and further into his seat. He covered his face with his hands by the time it ended.

“You also get a free desert,” the waiter promised, depositing orange juice in front of all of them.

“Thanks, that's great,” Neville said from behind his hands as the twins tried to obviously muffle their laughs. “You two, shut it.”

“Sorry, no idea that was a thing,” Fred chortled.

“That was embarrassing,” Neville moaned.

“Muggles can be strange,” George said, still covering his own laugh.

When Neville looked up, he stopped, staring at the two of them. They both looked more relaxed than he expected, and yet George was missing an ear and there were circles under both of their eyes. “Is the wedding preparation going well?” he asked.

“Sure,” George sighed. “We've been doing a lot of decorating. The house is crowded. I tried to convince mum that we could give up our room and stay in our apartment but she wouldn't hear of it, no matter how nuts it is her and dad are sleeping in the living room.”

Neville ducked his head down, because he couldn't imagine a family gathering like that, crowded but celebratory at the same time. “You didn't have to come if—”

“Yes we did,” Fred said. “Of course we did, we had to see you Neville. It's your birthday, you're coming of age. It matters.”

“And we miss you,” George said. “Like crazy sometimes.”

And Neville understood that feeling, because he often laid awake now, remembering them and missing the heat of their hands and the sound of their voices.

“I'm glad you came,” he said when the waiter came back to finish their order and Neville started blushing again.

“It's not every day you have a birthday like this,” George said.

“We have to help you celebrate,” Fred added.

-0-

At the end of the meal, Neville was given the free desert as promised and Fred dropped all the muggle bills he had down on the table. The waiter squinted at the money and then the bill, flipping a few pieces of paper with a 20 printed on them off the bill before taking the rest away.

“Either he thinks we're crazy,” George started.

“Or so stupid rich we don't even know the value of money,” Fred added and sighed. “Wouldn't that be nice.”

“You are successful now,” Neville said, pulling his coat around his shoulders as they stepped outside. He stopped, the hot air of the end of July hitting his face and he had to stop because Fred and George were standing there, on either side of them. They had come just to take him out and celebrate his birthday with him, and though they had been sitting on the opposite side of the table all night, it felt more intimate than any time he had sneaked out to spend the night with them.

They were there for him, taking time away from their own family and celebrations to make sure he didn't feel alone.

As he stood on a muggle sidewalk and stared at them he felt himself start to cry.

“Nev,” George said, turning and pulling him into an embrace, Fred wrapping his arms around his back. “Nev, what is it?”

“I can't help it,” Neville said. “I'm scared,” and he clung tighter to George. “I'm scared about what's coming, about the rumors and the darkness and yet you're here, and,” he choked off.

“We're being careful,” Fred promised.

“You're missing an ear!” Neville cried, muffled against George's chest.

“We're going to be even more careful,” George amended.

“I miss you,” Neville said.

“You're going to be careful too, aren't you?” Fred asked. “There's been rumors about the Ministry. If it falls, Hogwarts isn't going to be safe.”

“I'm going to be careful too,” Neville said and wondered if this was how they felt every time they promised him the same. Like he already knew he was going to break the promise but had to make it anyway.

 


	10. Just Say You're Happy for Me

“You're not going back to Hogwarts,” George said the night of Harry's birthday and he felt awful confronting Harry about this on this night of all of them, but both he and Fred understood they were running out of time.

The only reason Harry had stayed so long was because of his birthday and the wedding.

Harry tensed, looking at both of them. “What makes you say that?” he asked and Fred sighed.

“We helped Ron with the Ghoul,” he said. “We know you're not going back and you know it too.”

“So?” Harry asked after a beat.

“Do you remember the map we gave you?” Fred asked. “That showed the Castle?”

Harry tensed more. “Yes, of course,” he said.

“We're assuming you still have it,” George said.

“Yes,” Harry said.

“We'd like it back,” Fred said first because George was still gathering himself to say it tactfully.

“You're as bad as Ron,” he muttered under his breath as Harry stared at both of them.

“Excuse me?” he demanded. “You gave me that map, my father helped _create_ that map—”

“It's not for us,” George cut in and Harry blinked. “But you're not going back to Hogwarts. It's not going to be safe this year, we can all guess that.”

“Who's it for then?” Harry asked.

“The students going back,” George said after a beat, thinking of the way Neville had cried in the street, like they all knew they wouldn't be safe again for a long time. He felt like he was steeling himself when he added, “For Neville.”

Harry startled. “Neville?” he asked and Fred's hands tightened at his sides.

“He still really cared about the DA, right?” George said. “He answered your call when almost no one else did. We know him a sight better than Luna. He's one of us, isn't he?”

Everything he said was true. The fact that his stomach churned whenever he thought of Neville trapped in Hogwarts with no tools to know where to turn was only another layer.

“My father made it,” Harry said, voice low.

“I'm sorry,” Fred said. “But please, for the sake of everyone at that school. We have no idea what it's going to look like this year.”

Harry looked down before finally looking back up at them. “I have the photos and the cloak,” he said, obviously trying to convince himself.

George almost said something about how the map belonged at Hogwarts anyway. It was useless outside its walls and should remain at the school that created it. Instead they both waited for Harry to either talk himself into or out of giving them back the map.

“Alright,” Harry said finally, like it hurt him. He clearly wanted to ask for the map back at the end of the year, but seemed to no think it was a conversation to have with the twins. “Alright.”

-0-

Everything went wrong all at once.

And then Ron and Harry and Hermione where gone and Bill and Fleur went to their cottage and the twins were back in their shop. The Floo network was certainly being watched and they slowly started to learn the other new dangers since the Ministry had fallen.

Neville had never felt so far away, despite the fact he should have been easy to reach. Instead they relied on vague letters to communicate, waiting for any moment they might see each other. It was too dangerous to keep apperating to his house, even though he was of age and the Trace should have been broken.

“I miss you,” he wrote and Fred sat at the window, staring at the letter for too long.

“We could just go visit,” George said, appearing behind him and leaning his chin on his shoulder. “Go up to the door and knock. Meet his gran officially and have tea.”

“I don't know if he'd like that,”

“He's of age now,” George said. “We were in school together, in the same house for five years.”

“We haven't taken him to meet mum either,” Fred said, and George deflated.

“He's still in school,” he said. “She'd kill us.”

“Worse if she figured out when it started,” Fred said, and it was odd to feel guilty now about it.

George hummed like he was coming to the same conclusion. “Have you heard the rumors about Hogwarts?”

“They're still just rumors,” Fred said, clinging to it.

-0-

Snape was not announced to be the new headmaster until the first day of classes.

It had already become clear that attendance was mandatory and many muggle born children had already gone on the run, some getting out of the country while they still could have.

Fred and George were on the platform ostensibly to see Ginny off, but they were both frantically looking for Neville, who had insisted in his last letter he was going back no matter what.

“There,” Fred said, grabbing George's hand and pointing down the crowded platform.

“Nev!” George yelled, not caring who turned to stare because it got Neville's attention. He drifted toward them, struggling through the crowd until they could each grab an arm and pull him to the side, almost but not quite hidden.

“You can't go back,” Fred said, low and desperate. “You can't, don't be stupid.”

“It's required,” Neville said, head tilted back.

“You can go underground—”

“If my gran ever agreed to that,” Neville said. “My uncles. The rest of my family.” Before Fred could angrily protest about their worth Neville continued. “My parents would be easy targets.” Fred's jaw snapped shut.

“The school is run by Death Eaters,” George whispered urgently.

“I know,” Neville said and there was a tiny waver in his voice before he tossed his chin back.

“Damnit, Neville,” Fred said.

“Snape is running the school,” George said and he wanted to turn around and punch the wall.

“I know Snape,” Neville started.

“Who do you think cursed off my ear?” George hissed and Neville froze because he had never gotten an answer when he asked the question. “He's dangerous, more than just a bully, you have to be careful.”

“I will,” Neville said, voice sounding hollow even to his own ears.

“Here,” George said, shoving the Marauder's Map at him. “You tap it with your wand and say I solemnly swear I'm up to no good. When you're done you tap it and say mischief managed. It's a map of the school. The secret passages probably won't be safe anymore, but you'll be able to see where people are in the school and it should help keep you safe—”

The whistle blew and Neville looked panicked for a second as he glanced over his shoulder. “I have to go—”

“Be careful,” Fred said and Neville tucked the map away, taking one of their hands in each of his.

“I love you,” he said and it was almost drowned out completely. “I love you both.”

Fred's knuckles were white again and George made a pained sound, like he had been hit.

“Don't go,” Fred said again and Neville gave them a watery smile before turning away abruptly, running to give a brief farewell to his gran and disappearing on the train.

-0-

By the second month of term Neville knew all the names of the First Year students because he hunted for them every night on the map to make sure they weren't in detention, alone in some dark room and chained to the walls.

Some of the gashes he got from the Carrows didn't heal for months no matter what Madame Pomphrey did.

Snape swooped around the castle and Neville learned how to guess his movements to best take advantage. He wondered if Snape had always had such a set schedule before and decided he didn't care.

Ginny's mouth was one hard line and Luna seemed to be holding on to her faith in the strangeness and beauty of the world harder than ever before. Neville would often rest his head in her lap and listen to her talk about floating plants and horns and whatever else entered her mind because at least it meant he didn't have to think about where they were.

Owl post was still coming in and out of Hogwarts but everyone knew it was being searched and sometimes even censored. No Quibbler was entering the school by legal means.

Neville lay awake sometimes, listening to Seamus turn over and over in his bed. The room had shrunk when they showed up in September, only two beds facing each other down across the room.

“Do you think where ever they are, they're safe?” Seamus asked the ceiling.

Neville thought of Dean, with his still muggle posters and art and Ron with his clashing colors and strange moments of insight. He refused to think about Harry at the moment. “I hope so,” he told the wall, unable to even look at Seamus across the room in the dark.

-0-

The months stretched out, a mixture of pain and defiance and he lay at night, turning the old DA coin over and over in his hand, wishing he understood it better, wishing he could send a message to just one coin instead of all of them.

“Luna,” he said the next day, the week before Christmas Break. “Do you think you could create another set of coins like this?”

Luna just smiled at him, squeezing his hand like she knew exactly what he wanted. “I'll look into it,” she said. “I have the most lovely coins I think I could use.”

“The point is that they're not remarkable,” Neville said quickly.

“Yes, dear,” Luna agreed.

Neville had another bad run in with the Carrows only the day before break. He ended up in the dungeon, hanging from chains and wracked with aftershocks from the Cruciatus Curse for the whole night as no one could get close enough to rescue him.

In the morning he was sent off to class like nothing had happened and sat tight lipped and aching through a double period of Muggle Studies first thing.

Luna caught up to him at lunch, throwing her arms around him and slipping something into his pocket. He didn't dare look at what it was until he was alone that night in the dormitory. There were three coins cradled in his hand and he bent over them, holding the gold against his chest and crying.

When Seamus entered the room Neville could hear him pause before he slowly approached, sitting down beside Neville. “You're taking an awful lot of the heat onto yourself,” he said softly.

“I know,” Neville said and realized he was going home, the marks of torture obvious upon his face and in the way his hands were still shaking.

“Yeah, cause you're doing it on purpose, you stupid git,” Seamus said and he wrapped an arm awkwardly around Neville's shoulder, embracing him with one arm and letting Neville shake against his side.

“We gotta stick together now,” Seamus said and didn't look at where Dean's bed would have been between theirs.

“We are,” Neville whispered.

-0-

Luna was taken off the train right in front of him. He was reaching out toward her, and she was looking back at him, Ginny screaming and then she was gone in a swirl of Death Eaters.

Neville's scream rose in pitch to match Ginny's roar and Seamus was gesturing frantically at both of them, trying to shove them back into their compartment. Other students had poked their heads out of their compartments, wide eyed and scared and Neville thought he saw Draco Malfoy of all people standing in the middle of the corridor, looking sick.

But Seamus succeeded in pushing them back. “Stop,” he said and sounded half frantic himself. “Stop it, both of you, calm down.”

“They took Luna!” Neville almost roared.

“I know,” Seamus said, broken, as the train lurched into motion again. “Neville, I know.”

“I'm going to,” Ginny started.

Seamus stopped her with a hand in the middle of her chest. “Do what?” he demanded.

“We have to find a way to get her back,” Ginny said and Neville finally sank back into his seat, putting his head in his hands.

“How?” he asked, hollow and Ginny turned a glare on him.

“I don't know,” she said, but still sounded determined. “We'll find a way.”

“How?” Neville repeated and she left the compartment. After a while Seamus sat down next to Neville again, but this time Neville didn't allow him to touch him.

-0-

The Hogwarts Express rolled into London an hour later and Neville still felt sick. He saw Ginny get off the train ahead of him, head held high and refusing to look back.

The twins were there, in the most subdued clothing Neville had seen them in since school. They stood only a few feet away from his gran and he wondered how long they had taken to make that look natural and not planned.

Fred saw him first and his face went pale. But the instant his gran saw him she was there first, one hand coming up to touch his cheek. “I know these marks,” she said, voice ice.

“Yeah,” Neville said and George started forward and then back again.

All around the platform parents and family were taking stock of their children with some horror on their faces.

“Let's get you home,” his gran said and Neville wasn't used to the expression on her face.

“Just,” he said and Fred was there suddenly. It didn't even seem to matter who else was listening.

“Neville. This is not being careful.”

“Fred,” Neville greeted. “You'd be surprised.”

“Hell, Neville,” George said and his gran was watching all three of them. Neville wanted to crawl out of his skin as much as he wanted to throw his arms around them and let the twins hold him until he stopped shaking.

Instead he gave them both a faint smile. “It could be worse,” he said.

“We heard about the detention,” Fred said, voice low. “What were you thinking?”

“You might as well ask Ginny as much as me,” Neville said.

“Nev,” George said, almost warning.

“Sorry,” Neville said, because people were still streaming off the train, calling to their families and some running off the platform as quickly as possible. “Maybe none of us are very good at being careful.”

“Apparently not,” George said and Neville still wasn't used to seeing him without an ear.

Neville paused before taking their hands, mirroring the motion he'd done when he left only a few months before. It felt longer.

In both his palms he had the coins Luna had made, pressing them into the twin's hands and when he let go they kept them. “I'll see you later,” he promised quietly and turned to leave with his gran. He tried to ignore the way she kept glancing at him, like she was considering something she never had before.

“How many times?” she asked as they left the train station and Neville felt sick.

“I don't want—”

“Nev,” she said quietly, voice almost soft except it never really could be.

“Too many,” was all he allowed and her mouth thinned.

-0-

He was at the shop the next morning, pale and drawn.

“You've lost weight,” George said and there were no customers so they flipped the sign to closed.

“Haven't been eating,” Neville admitted and for a moment the three of them stared at each other. “Gran let me come, though I don't think she wanted to. Sorry, I haven't been able to shop for anything for you for Christmas—”

“Nev,” George said and Fred was there first, throwing his arms around him and Neville sank against his chest.

“You said you loved us,” Fred said into his hair and Neville nodded.

“You're going back, aren't you?” George asked, hovering back.

“Yes,” Neville said.

“Nev,” George started.

“You would too,” Neville said, angry. “Or maybe you wouldn't. But I know you're with the Order. It's not like you're being safe either.”

“At least we're not walking willingly into one of the most dangerous places in England right now,” Fred snapped.

“Stop it,” Neville said and George kicked the counter before walking over, both hands cupping Neville's cheeks and tilting his head back to kiss him. Neville breathed in sharply through his nose and melted into the kiss.

George tried to ignore the grooves in Neville's skin he could feel under his fingertips, or the fine tremor that hadn't quite gone away yet.

“You said you love us,” George repeated when he pulled back, Fred nuzzling against Neville's neck.

“I do,” Neville said, eyes dark. “I do love you.”

George kissed him again, open mouthed and desperate and Neville threw his arms around him.

-0-

The twins were there again on the platform but this time they said nothing, just squeezed his hand one after the other and watched him go. His gran was also stony faced and quiet as he got on the train.

Ginny shortly found his compartment, sitting down across from him. “I'm sorry,” she said.

“It's okay,” Neville whispered. “I—I'm sure she's still alive.”

“Yeah,” Ginny agreed faintly.

-0-

The coins made it more bearable. Only short messages could be communicated over them, but he would often turn his over and over in his hands, tracing his fingers across the quickly spelled words. He felt warm, lke he was holding a tiny piece of happiness in his hands and against his chest.

“We could communicate with the whole old DA,” Seamus said in the bed over. “You know, if and when we need to.”

-0-

Ginny caught him staring at the coin one night in the library, in the far back corner where no one else was. “That's not our regular DA coin,” she said, and fished her own out of her pocket to squint at it. “Who else are you talking to?”

“What?” Neville startled. “I mean—”

She stared at him until he sighed. “I've been talking to Fred and George—”

“What?” she yelped, lunging at the coin.

“No!” Neville said automatically jerking it back away because the last message had been Fred, a sappy and dirty declaration of what he wanted to do to Neville when he got the chance.

“What do you mean no?” Ginny asked, still trying to grab it. “They're my brothers. Those are my brothers you're talking to and you're not even going to share—”

“They're my lovers,” Neville said because he hadn't slept the night before again, and though he wasn't having a shaking fit he was aching all over. As soon as the words were out of his mouth he squeaked, dropping the coin and slamming a hand over his mouth.

Ginny froze, slack jawed and wide eyed.

For a moment they just stared at each other, Neville's eyes equally huge over his hand.

“What?” Ginny asked and Neville squeaked behind his hand again. “ _What_?”

“I'm so-sorry,” Neville said, hating the stammering showing up at such a time. “We should have—I should have—”

“How long?” Ginny asked, squinting at him and Neville winced. That seemed to be answer enough. “I'm gonna kill them.”

“No,” Neville said quickly. “No, it wasn't like that, it isn't like that.”

“Why didn't you tell anyone?” Ginny demanded, leaning forward and Neville glanced around quickly before tilting in closer.

“Are you kidding?” he asked. “Oh yeah, I happen to be dating blokes. Two of them! At the same time! They're twins and you happen to know them!”

Ginny frowned. “Wait, how does that even work?”

Neville flushed a blotchy red, burying his face in his hands. “W-what part of it?”

“The them part,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “I mean, they're stupid close but—That's—”

“They said,” and Neville was still bright red. “That it had to do with wanting to share and that dating other people hadn't worked for them. Or something. They're not really... together. With each other. Just, both with me, at the same time.”

“So kinda like,” and Ginny held up her hands, vertically parallel with each other. She pushed them together and stared at Neville, one eyebrow raised. “Like this?”

Neville thought he couldn't blush more but he was vividly reminded of hovering over George whose head was tossed back in pleasure, Fred behind him, somehow holding them both up. “Um, yeah,” he managed. “S-something like that.”

“Oh,” Ginny said softly, looking at his face. “You really mean that.”

“I,” Neville started.

“Why you?” Ginny asked. “I mean, why are you dating them? They were mean to you.”

“Technically they were mean to just about everyone,” Neville said. “And—they aren't anymore. To me.”

Ginny was squinting at him still, like she was putting pieces together. “When the store opened,” she said slowly. “You were there and later they said you had been helping them set up. Casually, like it didn't mean much.”

“Oh,” Neville gave up and buried his face in his hands again. “Yeah.”

“But they're good to you?” Ginny demanded. “If they're not, I'll kick their asses, brothers or not.”

“Yes,” Neville said softly. “They are. They're so—” and he broke off when a siren like sound went off. “Oh. Curfew soon. We need to go to get back in time.”

Ginny caught his arm as he rose. “Neville, I—”

“Just say you're happy for me,” Neville said softly. “Please.”

“I am,” she said and her eyes were wide and sincere. “I'm still just trying to wrap my head around it. I mean, it's Fred and George. I shouldn't be surprised but somehow I am.”

“Come on,” Neville said. “We need to survive this year before it'll really matter again.”

She frowned slightly at those words but rose to follow him back to the common room.

 


	11. And a Lot of Really Angry Students

Neville had been out late at night, patrolling the corridors and tracking down the kids who were still out of bed before the Carrows could find them.

“You don't have a monopoly on resistance,” a Ravenclaw had protested.

“No,” Neville agreed. “But the more organized we are, the better off we are.”

The Ravenclaw girl had grumbled all the way back to her common room.

Now he could barely keep his eyes open in class. It was double period Dark Arts at the end of the day and he certainly should have known better. His eyes drooped down and in the next second he felt something jerk in his pocket and go flying into Amycus' hand.

Startling, he reached forward desperately, too late realizing Amycus had said “ _Accio_ coin.” Fear lodged in his throat when he realized it was the heavy coin he used to talk to the twins, not the gold galleon that the DA used.

For some reason that one had stayed firm in his pocket.

“Ah,” Amycus said. “Look at this. Enchanted, isn't it? We were wondering if students were using something like this to communicate with each other.”

“It's not—” Neville started.

“Silence!” Amycus snapped. “I know there's magic in this coin. And somehow you brats have been communicating.”

He murmured something, tapping the coin several times and for a horrible second Neville thought the coin would reveal its secrets. But it remained stubbornly still. “Is there a password?” Amycus demanded, and the whole class was watching him silently. A few almost terrified gazes went to Neville, because the entire DA could be found through those coins.

“No,” Neville said, wondering what Luna had done with the coins.

“Are you lying?” Amycus asked, dangerously low.

“No,” Neville protested and expected the pain of the curse sent his way. Gasping, he bent over the desk, his fingers scrambling along the surface as he tried to breath through it. It was just pain, he reminded himself, trying to distance his mind from it.

The pain faded and he forced his head up.

“What's the password?”

“There isn't one,” Neville said.

“Don't lie to me,” Amycus said. “Tell me how this works.”

“It's nothing,” Neville said. “Just a coin—Luna gave it to me. As a gift. I don't know if it's enchanted or not.”

“Stop lying to me—”

“I'm not!” Neville protested again. “It was just a gift. It's nothing.”

He was braced for the next curse, even though that meant nothing for the pain. It was still overwhelming and he understood why his parents went mad.

“If it's really nothing,” Amycus said, turning the coin over in his fingers. “Then you won't mind when I do this?”

And he split the coin into four pieces, dropping them onto the desk in front of Neville.

“Now then, class,” Amycus said, turning away and Neville tried not to react to the pieces in front of him. “Open your books again. We have another dark curse to learn today. Today we'll learn how to tear apart the muscles of those who oppose us.”

When his back was turned, Neville finally reached forward, lightly brushing one of the coin pieces.

-0-

“Neville,” Ginny said, meeting him outside the common room. “I heard—”

“I'm fine,” he said and wished he could mean it. “I'm fine.”

“You look awful,” Ginny said.

“The shakes should be gone by dinner,” Neville said, hating that he knew that now, based on how many curses he suffered and how badly they were.

“Nev,” Ginny said, like she knew. “You don't have to take this on yourself—”

“I'm not,” he said. “Remember, I have you.”

The corner of her mouth quirked up. “You have me,” she agreed.

“And a lot of really angry students,” Neville added.

-0-

When Neville got off the train his gran took his head in both her hands, staring at him. “What have you been doing?” she asked.

“The usual,” Neville admitted, flickering a faint smile at her.

She stared at him a moment longer, before pulling him down to rest their foreheads together. “I know those signs.”

“Yeah,” Neville agreed because he would never deny this to his gran.

She nodded, pulling back and took his head. Overall it was the most affection he could ever remember getting from her.

For the first time since fifth year, the twins were no where on the platform.

-0-

Easter break was perhaps the worst Neville had faced in some time. His gran's ability to show affection waned quickly as he figured it would. She was proud, he was fairly certain, but had no way to show it.

When he went to Diagon Alley, he found Wesley's Wizarding Wheezes boarded up and closed.

For a long time he stood there, hands shoved deep in his pockets and still aching. He had Fred the other night on _Potterwatch,_ which meant a few days ago they were alive at least. If George had been dead, Fred would never have appeared sounding so caviler.

But there had been no other _Potterwatch_ since that day, though every night Neville turned on the radio to check.

Instead he lay on his bed and waited to hear... anything.

-0-

Neville couldn't say he was pleased to return to Hogwarts.

But at least it meant he could focus on something beside the pit in his stomach. Ginny was not at school either and Neville desperately told himself it meant the whole family probably went underground. He tried to tell himself that every time he turned around and Ginny wasn't there.

He even tried to repair the coin Luna had made for him to no avail.

By the second day back he sent a message through the DA coin, wondering if Ginny or the twins still had theirs. Before he could get a message back, he found himself being dragged into an alcove by Draco Malfoy.

“What?” Neville started.

If possible, Draco looked even more drawn and pale than before the break. Considering he had been floating through Hogwarts like a ghost all year, that seemed like an achievement.

“I wanted to say,” and Draco turned his head to see if anyone else was there. “Ron Wesley was discovered with Harry Potter. And Granger of course.”

Neville stared at him.

“So the Dark Lord knows Wesley isn't sick,” Draco said. “His whole family made it underground.”

He turned abruptly and left.

“Hey!” Neville called after him. “You didn't have to—”

Draco shook his head slightly, a jerky motion before he continued walking away. That time Neville let him go without saying anything.

Later when no one else was around he pulled out the large gold galleon, turning it over and letting out a breath when Ginny's message showed up. _Couldn't find coin. Family underground and safe. G.W._

He waited and a moment later another message came through. _Potterwatch on tonight. F. W._

He didn't even care for a second that every member of the DA could read these messages.

He looked sideways, after where perhaps Draco had gone. He hadn't had to explain to Neville about the Wesley's, but he did.

-0-

“We got a radio,” Seamus said proudly and Neville roused himself from trying to finish an essay. “Hopefully in time.”

“You are amazing,” Neville declared, sitting up as Seamus started tuning the radio, murmuring the password.

They came into the program halfway through, as Royal was giving a report. Neville waited but that night neither twin came on the air.

-0-

It was several more weeks before he heard either of the twins on the air. “And here's Rapier and—I suppose you don't want to be called Rodent either, do you?”

“Hell no,” George said and Neville had to hide his face in his hands, he was grinning so hard. “How about Radiant?”

“Sure,” Lee said after a beat. “So what can you tell us?”

And Neville barely heard what they were saying, just dwelling on hearing their voices again.

“You are practically curled around that radio,” Seamus remarked and Neville snapped out of it.

“What?” he blinked as the radio kept going on behind them.

“You know, it's really the mundane things you miss on a life on the run,” George said. “Like fresh air, lovers, really good crisps.”

“I think we all have loved ones we miss,” Lee said after a beat. “And that's _Potterwatch_. Next show's password is Hedwig.”

“Harry's owl?” Seamus asked.

“I guess so,” Neville said.

“So what was with you earlier?” Seamus asked as Neville hid the radio.

“Nothing,” Neville said. “Just hearing the voices of people I miss.”

“Yes,” and Seamus eye's dropped. “That would be nice.”

“I,” and Neville reached forward. “I'm sure Dean is okay.”

“He's been on the run all year,” Seamus said. “All I know is that his name hasn't appeared on _Potterwatch_. But I missed a few, I know I did. It could have slipped through—”

“He's fine,” Neville repeated, uncertain why he was so sure.

-0-

Neville turned the DA coin over in his hand. He had been using it sparingly through the year to make sure no one pulled it out when someone else could see it. Now though—

He tapped his wand on the coin, sending out a message to those outside of Hogwarts. He grinned as confirmations started leaking in. Dean's name came up and he rolled over, climbing out of bed to shake Seamus awake. He almost forgot what he was going to say when Luna sent a message. “Hey, hey Seamus,” Neville said and held the coin up over his face. “Dean just sent a message. He's safe.”

“Safe?” and Seamus was sitting up. “Safe? Not just alive, but safe?”

“In a safe house,” Neville confirmed and Seamus yelled, throwing his arms around Neville.

“He's alive!” he chanted. “He's alive!”

-0-

“You know the only reason you've survived this long is because you're pure blood,” Alecto said, passing Neville in the hall one day.

He stopped, freezing before forcing himself to march to his next class.

“You look shaken,” Lavender Brown whispered.

“I'm fine,” Neville whispered.

A few days later news came that his gran had been attacked. The news that she had escaped and gotten underground only came a couple days later.

One night he looked up from the tables and toward the professors. The Carrows were talking to each other, and grinning and Neville startled when he realized Snape was looking right back at him. Snape was rarely in the Great Hall anymore, and the fact he was there at all felt like an ill omen.

But the fact he was meeting Neville's gaze dead on scared him more than anything else.

Snape seemed to incline his head slightly, eyes darting to the Carrows and Neville pushed himself back from the table. “Seamus,” he whispered.

“What is it?” Seamus asked.

“I need to hide,” Neville whispered. “I'll find you when I can.”

“Neville—” Seamus started and he left the hall at a brisk pace, not quite running.

-0-

He found the Room of Requirement and spent the night in a low slung hammock watching the map and hoping everyone would stay tucked in that night.

It didn't take long for people to realize he was missing. That felt oddly flattering in a way, but soon enough other students started seeking him out. The Room kept expanding and Aberforth kindly keep up with the demand for more food.

“Can't you just raid the Hogwarts kitchen?” he grumbled.

“Actually, that is a fantastic idea,” Neville said after a beat. “When we can. This is safer of course.”

“Of course,” Aberforth agreed.

-0-

“Don't you get tired of it?” Lavender asked on night when Neville was fiddling with the large radio, whispering the password.

“Of course I do,” Neville said and grinned when _Potterwatch_ came on.

“What do you do?” Lavender asked. “To make this better?”

“I keep fighting,” Neville said and somehow was surprised when she kissed him. For a second he let himself melt into it, missing Fred and George so desperately that any kiss made his chest swell. “I'm sorry,” he said, pulling away. “I'm sorry, I can't.”

“Somehow I figured that was going to be your answer,” Lavender said.

“I'm sorry,” Neville repeated.

She squeezed his hand. “At least tell me there's someone else.”

“There's someone else,” Neville said and she blinked at him. “I'm serious, actually. There is. And I love them.”

“Oh, well,” she gave him a smile. “I hope you get to see them again.”

“So do I,” Neville said.

 


	12. That's Two More I Get Next Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, everyone remembers I'm a horrible person right? This isn't going to surprise anyone right?

Neville knew better. At least he tried to tell himself he should have known better. But when it was Harry standing on the other side of that painting he lost his head a little.

It was worse when Harry looked at him and said he hadn't come back to fight. He'd come back to find something and then just leave again. It felt like betrayal curling in his stomach and he didn't tell Harry he'd already sent a message through the coins until the first members of the DA were already coming through the portrait hole.

He saw out of the corner of his eyes Seamus whoop and throw his arms around Dean, Dean catching him and holding him tight and he turned his head enough to see Ginny and her brothers step through.

It felt like someone had knocked the air out of his lungs because he wanted to reach out and hold on. George's ear was still an obvious sickening hole, but they were intact otherwise, and they were there and real and—

For a moment he forgot to even be angry at Harry. He was too busy staring at them and reminding himself they were still alive.

Then Harry was gone, off on his quest or whatever it was he was doing that didn't involve staying to actually help and Neville couldn't stop himself anymore. He started walking toward George and Fred when Luna caught up to him, throwing her arms around him and for a second he could forget his original goal.

“I'm so glad to see you,” he said and she grinned, he could feel it against his neck where she'd jammed her head.

“Sorry,” she said, still grinning. “I had to have the first go at you.”

He squeezed her tighter. “You're okay,” he said. “I'm so _glad_ ,” and then she was letting him go with another pat on his back.

More people were coming through the portal all the time and he cared. Because those people were his friends, were fighting the same battle he was but none of them had his attention anymore. Ginny grinned at him as he approached but allowed Fred to sweep him up first.

“Hi,” Nev,” Fred said, holding him tightly against his chest.

“Good to see you,” Neville said and for once he made no noise about being touched in public, just clung tighter.

“Yeah, mate, it's been a while,” George said and his eyes were sparkling.

But there were too many people and not enough time.

“Neville!” Seamus called and he still had one hand resting on Dean' shoulder, like he couldn't bear for them to be parted for even a second. Neville thought he understood that desire.

“What?” he asked, George's hand sliding around to brush across his shoulder blades before dropping.

“What are we gonna do?” Seamus asked. “Everyone is here to fight and Harry is insisting we aren't—”

“We will,” Neville said because he couldn't imagine stepping down, not now.

When the first students started streaming into the room, he started to understand that they wouldn't be standing down. Except he was all the way at the door and somehow Fred and George were back at the portal. He wanted to reach forward, to hold on, and stepped out into the frantic school instead, bellowing at students to stay orderly to get through the entrance to the Room of Requirement, which was helpfully widening.

-0-

The battle was poised just on the edge of being joined when Fred and George caught him.

“Nev,” and Fred was kissing him, shoving him into an alcove and against the wall.

“We have to,” Neville started and didn't even bother listening to his own argument, wrapping his arms around Fred and opening his mouth. Then George was there and Neville felt something like joy bubbling up in his chest. He figured he could cast another patronus then and there.

“Sorry, we have to what?” Fred asked and the whole castle shook.

“That,” Neville said, when he finally pulled away from George's mouth.

Fred kissed him again, hands sliding into his hair.

“No fair,” George said because it was becoming more and more clear they couldn't be able to hid here for more than a second and Fred drew back, considering the hallway before kissing Neville again. “That's two more I get next time then,” George said and Neville wanted to stay hidden there, twined around his two lovers.

“We have to—” he started to say and the window next to them exploded.

“Back to the fray I suppose,” Fred said, laughing over his shoulder and Neville had to run the opposite direction to keep from staring after them and feeling lost.

-0-

He saw flickers of them, George with Luna and Ginny at one point, Fred and George passing each other and somehow still grinning in the middle of battle, Fred standing with Percy, whose glasses were askew.

Somewhere in the middle of it all, Neville tripped over Lavender, sliding in the blood on the flagstones of Hogwarts. “Lav,” he said, dropping to his knees. “Lav, it's going to be okay.”

He wasn't sure it would be, considering how mauled her face was and he tried to staunch some of it, trying to remember the brief healing incantations he'd learned that year through necessity. Except his hands were shaking and he wasn't sure he was doing more harm than good when a spell shattered the stone next to him. He had time to turn, no time to actually fight back against the death eater standing there, victory in their entire posture before they went flying through the air.

“Good to see you, Neville,” Augusta Longbottom said and Neville gaped at her.

“Gran?”

“It's good to see you again,” she said, even though her voice didn't lend much warmth to the words. It was still a stunning display of emotion from her and Neville felt his throat clog.

“I have to get her—”

“Go and I'll cover you,” Augusta said and Neville scooped Lavender up, trying to ignore how light she felt, because there was still a flutter of a pulse in there.

Everything fell back into fighting and running, catching only glimpses of the devastation around them. At one point he remembered shoving some Snargaluff pods into his gran's arms. She raised her brows and remarked something about the uses of herbology she had never considered and as happy as he was to see her, he only half listened.

And then it was over. He heard the boom of Voldemort's voice over the whole castle and froze. He only took stock of who was around him when the voice ended, seeing Dean bleeding from a cut over his eye, and Hannah Abbott standing to one side, her hair wild around her face and panting.

“Now what?” she asked.

“We go to the Great Hall,” Neville said and suddenly had to look around for Seamus, finding him crawling over some wreckage to find them. He let out a breath he hadn't quite realized he had been holding.

They moved slowly, wary of anything else that might not have listened to Voldemort's promise of an hour. As a group, they reached the Great Hall, only to find the place packed, injured moaning and the smell of blood and scorched magic all around them.

Hannah made a sound in the back of her throat and ran off, and Neville was looking around desperately, wanting nothing more to sink down where Fred and George were.

He saw George first, kneeling over a form that was still, and in the middle of the Great Hall, part of a line of other—

Neville didn't even think because he couldn't.

He just turned around, because they only had an hour, Voldemort had said, an hour to tend to their dead and—

Ginny grabbed his arm, turning him back around. “Neville—”

“I can't,” was all he said and she dropped his arm. He was out the door and had barely made it a few steps before he noticed the body at his feet. Staring for a moment, not recognizing them, he raised his eyes to see the other countless bodies strewn across the courtyard and down onto the grass of the Hogwart's lawn. He did recognize a fair number of those.

Ginny had followed him, he realized. She stood silent and still beside him, her face still blotchy from crying and Neville's hands were trembling.

“Let's get to work,” she said after they stood there, just staring for too long at the carnage in front of them.

He had to keep moving because the second he stopped, he would never be able to start again. Work distracted him, it didn't allow him to time to think. He'd only barely glimpsed Fred's face and he looked just like he did while sleeping, half smiling and at rest.

But this work made him feel a hundred years old, like his body would not be able to keep going.

By the time Harry found him, with his strange words and hurried command to kill the snake, Neville was ready to sink into the ground and curl up on the cold grass.

He should be with George, he thought vaguely. He should be crying there with the rest of them. He should—

After Harry left he kept moving through the night because no other option was acceptable.

-0-

George almost didn't move when Voldemort's voice came booming over the castle again. But he heard his mother gasp and clutch her heart and he forced his head up, forced himself to listen to it, before moving with the rest of the castle's defenders out into the coming dawn.

He was on autopilot, even when he saw Hagrid carrying Harry. After all, if Fred could die anyone could.

But then he saw Neville, standing too close to the front of the crowd and he jerked, like electricity went through him. He hadn't seen Neville since before the battle really started, since Fred had—

His mind skittered off because Neville had broken free, had gone running out into the no man's land between the castle and the death eaters, and had been thrown to the ground, his wand in Voldemort's hands. George wanted to scream, wanting to run out there with him, because he had been so proud of that wand, it had meant everything to him—

But it wasn't over, Voldemort was calling Neville his brave boy and George took a step forward, only to be blocked by too many other people between him and Neville. It was worse though, when Neville tilted his chin back and said, so clear in the air around them, “I'll join you when hell freezes over. Dumbledore's army!”

George felt sick with pride and fear. Before he realized what he was doing, he had half turned around, to look at Fred, to whisper _look at our boy_. He froze, head tilted because Fred wasn't there. He wouldn't—

His distraction caused him to waste a horrible moment that he could have been using to fight toward Neville's side, because the sorting hat was on his head and it was _burning_ and he was still too far away, no one else daring to move—

Then everything was motion again, as new defenders came over the wall and George was struggling just to get to Neville, to see if there was any time to get that burning hat off him—

Except Neville shrugged off the hat and the curse at the same time, smoothly drawing a glittering sword out of the hat and George staggered to a stop again, staring in half blind surprise when Neville swung the blade in one graceful arc and beheaded the giant snake that was heading straight for him.

His staring almost got him killed, until he heard Percy screaming at him, dragging him down and away from danger. “What is wrong with you?” Percy shouted, shaking George and George blinked away some of his frozen shock.

“Perce,” George said blankly.

“I am not,” and Percy was shaking him with every word. “Going to let you die too! Now get up.”

George opened his mouth again and another explosion went off above them, and Percy dragged him back into the Great Hall, where Neville was working with Ron, swinging the sword at Fenrir Greyback of all people while Ron shot curse after curse at him.

Rousing himself to jinx the death eater coming up behind Percy, George felt like he was moving through molasses. Everything felt muted and distant and Percy and Neville in turns were the only things he could focus on until Harry Potter came swooping out from under his cloak.

George felt something like hot anger in his stomach.

He adored Harry, he did, but how could Harry have come back and still be alive, when Fred was still laying, abandoned in a corner of what was now the battlefield.

Then it was over, dawn streaming across the sky and the remaining death eaters running as Voldemort's body fell to the ground and this time, everyone seemed to understand he wasn't coming back.

-0-

Neville sat, forcing food methodically into his mouth because he hadn't eaten in over a day before the battle started, and he knew he needed to.

He had to—

The sword was on the table beside him and students he had barely talked to crowded around him, wide eyed. Even some adults, who had come in the second wave who perhaps had ignored him during school were there, admiring.

He was going to throw up.

Luna appeared at his elbow. “I already sent Harry away,” she whispered into his ear. “I can see about distracting them too.”

Neville's eyes flickered up and he felt like she deserved something more from him, a hug, time to catch up, but he only nodded quickly and as she started gesturing and babbling he rose and practically ran. He carried the sword with him because he had no idea what else to do with it.

It gave him something to hold on to.

Ginny found him, and he didn't look up when she sat down beside him on the windowsill, almost all the way up to the divination tower. It was still standing.

“Nev,” she whispered.

“Your family probably needs you,” he said and she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

“Neville,” she said, something firm leaking into her voice. “I _know_ , remember?”

He started to shake and tried to stop it. The castle was in ruins, there were still areas smoking, and he had to keep—

“Neville,” she repeated again and the shaking only got worse until he finally couldn't hold it in anymore, turning and burying his face in her shoulder, heaving sobs finally leaving him.

This is what he had been afraid of, starting to fall apart and being unable to stop. But she only stroked his back and he realized tears were leaking from her eyes into his hair.

They sat there in the window, as the sun rose on another lovely spring day turning to summer outside. There was not a cloud in the sky and if Neville had thought that was unfair during Dumbledore's funeral it was a thousand times worse.

“We're gonna make it,” Ginny said and hiccuped and Neville didn't contradict her.

She needed to say it as much as he didn't need to hear it.

He just clung to her shirt tighter and sobbed as the first birds started to sing.

 


	13. Just Something You Weren't Before

His gran had moved into the Leaky Cauldron while her house was being rebuilt and having no idea where to go, Neville got a room next door.

For a while he didn't do much except lie there, staring at the wall and trying to figure out what to do. By the third day he dragged himself up and into the alley. It was slow, but shopkeepers were starting to come back, and after almost a year of darkness and silence it felt strange.

Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes was closed and Neville stared at the facade for a long time before he opened the back door with the key he had been given what felt like a life time ago. Walking up the stairs he looked around the apartment, realizing it was empty and all the furniture was gone.

For a long moment he stood there in silence before turning down the stairs and walking out. When he locked the door, he gave up, sinking down along the wall and burying his face in his knees.

-0-

Ginny stopped by the next day, her hair bright in the dim lights of the Leaky Cauldron. “Nev,” she said, and Neville still felt like he would wake up and be at Hogwarts.

“Hi,” he said, idly and tried to focus.

She smiled at him, shaking her head. “Is this a good place to recover?”

“Recover?” he asked. “I'm fine.”

“Like hell,” she said, crossing her arms. “George moved to Hogsmeade.”

“If he didn't tell me that,” Neville said, looking down. “Than—”

“Neville,” Ginny said. “I almost hate to say this because of the last year but don't be a coward.”

“It's not about being—”

“He needs you too,” Ginny said.

“He ran away from me,” Neville said. “He didn't even talk to me after—” he broke off because George hadn't been there after the dust had cleared from the battle. He and his family had left that night, and Neville hadn't seen him since.

“I know,” Ginny said. “He's,” and she looked down, red hair swinging in front of her face. “He's hurting. Of course he is but—”

“I know,” Neville said softly.

“Go see him,” Ginny said. “Even if you're not interested in him as—”

“What?” Neville blinked. “But—what?”

“So that's a no on that,” Ginny almost smiled. “Just go see him, Nev.”

-0-

Neville stopped by to see Lavender first. “How are you feeling?” he asked, pulling the chair up closer to her bedside.

She stared at him, through the bandages on her face and neck. “They're still trying to figure out if I'm actually a werewolf or just like Bill Weasley.”

“When—” Neville amended what he was going to ask. “Is the next full moon?”

“Next week,” she said, not looking at him.

“Do you want—”

“No,” she said quickly. “Don't come.”

“I'll come the next week,” Neville promised and she looked away from him.

On his way out he stopped by his parent's room, ignoring Lockhart who shoved autographed photos at him. His mother reached out, tracing her fingers over his cheeks were the curse damage had scared. She hummed at him and gave him a withered leaf. His father stared out the window and he had never come to visit his parents by himself before.

“Voldemort is gone,” he said softly. “Bellatrix is dead. It's over,” and she was still humming and touching his cheek. “The world is going to be different,” he said and she smiled before wandering off.

-0-

George opened the door to find Neville on the other side.

For a second he didn't say anything and Neville just stared at him. “You can't do this to me,” he said finally.

“Do what?” George asked and he was pale, like he hadn't slept in a week.

“You can't leave me,” Neville said. “You can't shut yourself away and leave me—” he stopped talking before he said _alone_.

“I,” George started. “Nev—”

“I know it's not—but I can't lose both of you at once.”

George looked away and after a moment stepped back. “I'm sorry,” he said. “I just don't know what to do.”

“I don't either,” Neville said, stepping inside and Jenny was sitting on top of the cupboards, purring. For a long moment Neville just stared. He finally turned back around. “George. George, I don't know what to do.”

George hesitated by the door, before he slowly started walking toward Neville. “These,” and he touched Neville's cheeks. “Merlin, Neville. These scared.”

Neville just put a hand over George's ear. “Yeah, but I guess that happened to a lot of us.”

George looked down and Neville stepped closer. “You left,” he said. “You left and you didn't tell me where to find you.”

“I couldn't stay there,” George whispered. “And here—here is closer to the—to the graveyard.”

“George,” Neville whispered and George leaned down, burying his face in Neville's shoulder and shaking. “George, you can't leave me. Don't leave me.”

“I don't know how to do this,” George said.

“Then we'll figure it out,” Neville promised. “Like we figured out the first time.”

“I'm so tired,” George whispered and Neville stumbled back the back of his knees hitting the kitchen chair. He sank down, pulling George with him as George started to cry, hot tears leaking onto Neville's shirt.

“We're going to make it,” Neville said, uncertain if it would be true.

-0-

“You can stay here,” George said. “If—if you like.”

“You might not be able to get rid of me,” Neville said.

“Wouldn't that be the point?”

George looked at him and something flickered in his face that wasn't quite a smile.

“Jenny's missed you,” he said, as Neville brushed his teeth, having already sent an owl to his gran.

“I missed her,” Neville said, because sometime around sixth year Trevor had disappeared into the lake and Neville had never found him again. “I wish I could have brought her with me last year, but—”

Coming up behind him, George wrapped his arms around his waist and rested his forehead against Neville's shoulder. “I felt like I was losing my mind,” George murmured. “The whole year.”

Neville closed his eyes. “I was glad when the Carrows only found the coin we used to communicate. It meant they didn't find the one we used for the DA, I know it was better. But it made it so much worse.”

“I know,” George said, and his heartbeat steady behind Neville only reminded him who wasn't there. “We drove our aunt crazy. I mean, we would have,” and he stopped abruptly.

“Come on,” Neville said, turning and wiping the tears from George's eyes. “Let's go to bed.”

-0-

George woke up in the middle of the night and he knew the breathing beside him wasn't Fred. Even half asleep and warm he knew it was Neville and for a moment he smiled before opening his eyes and remembering like a stab that Fred wasn't there.

Pushing himself up, he went to slide out of bed and ran into an invisible barrier. Startled, he rocked back and twisted when he heard Neville cast a light spell, his wand pointed right at George, who had run into his wards.

“What the,” he started and Neville wasn't quite awake yet, it was obvious in the way his eyes were staring more through George than seeing him. “Nev?”

After a moment, his breathing heavy, Neville focused on him. “George?”

“Yeah, yeah it's me,” George said, and there was still wards up all around the bed. He gingerly poked at the invisible barrier and looked back at Neville, who had lowered his wand. “Do you keep that under your pillow?” he asked, because his wand was outside the wards, on the nightstand.

“I,” Neville started and simply nodded.

George started swearing and Neville drew his knees up against his chest, wrapping his arms around them and still not letting go of the wand. “I'm sorry,” Neville mumbled.

“It's not your fault,” George growled, angry at everyone who ever hurt Neville. “Just surprised me was all.”

“I can try,” Neville started.

“Keep casting them as long as you need,” George said, hands tight. “But can you take it down now?”

“Oh,” Neville said, waving his wand and taking down the wards one by one, showing George just how many he had put up. It almost made George start swearing again.

Instead he slipped into the darkness of the apartment, ignoring Jenny's quiet and sleepy chirp and locked himself in the bathroom.

-0-

For a while they floated around each other like ghosts. The world outside was slowly starting to pull itself together, a new Minister of Magic was put into place and there was even noise about Hogwarts being open on September first like usual.

But neither of them were part of it yet.

“I can't give up the shop,” George said abruptly one day at dinner, which Neville was making the long way without magic. “But I can't stand to look at it either. I've made noise about being here to look at the new shop, like we talked about, and I want to do it I just—”

“Can't yet,” Neville finished for him. All his own plans felt half formed and empty.

In the meantime he went and visited Lavender again. “How are you feeling?” he asked, sitting down and some of the bandages were starting to come off. Much like the thin scars on his cheeks and George's ear and Bill's scars, her's would never heal.

“I'm not a full werewolf,” she said, looking at her hands.

“Is that?” Neville started to ask.

“It feels worse,” she said. “Because I feel like I can never get rid of it, the urges. They're always there now.”

“You have friends,” Neville said, and tried to ignore the way she started sniffing. “We'll help you.”

“What have I become?”

“Just something you weren't before,” Neville said.

He started to notice that when he did go out, wizards stopped and pointed, and a few times reporters seemed to just be there in his path. He usually ducked down a different route or apperated right before they reached him.

-0-

He wasn't sure where Harry and the others were and wasn't even sure he wanted to talk to Harry yet.

Seamus sent him letters, once a week like clockwork and he and Dean had left the country to go to Ireland to stay with his mom for a while. Dean's mother apparently had gone too, glad to see her son again. Seamus included pictures, like he hoped those would cheer Neville up.

He spent a lot of time at Fred's grave, and more time knocking awkwardly around George.

One time George had leaned down, like he was going to kiss Neville before he realized what he was doing and he jerked back, stung. “George,” Neville started.

“No,” George said. “I just—I said that next time I got two more, you know?”

“I remember,” Neville whispered.

“But now I'll have,” George shut his eyes. “Far more than that. I'll have so many he could never catch up.”

Neville stared at him, frantically trying to think of what to say. Instead he just rested a hand on George's shoulder and held on.

-0-

Neville answered the door one day and Percy blinked at him, squinting from behind his glasses. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I live here,” Neville said automatically, and Percy blinked again.

“You do?” he asked.

“Is there a problem with that?” Neville shot back, arms crossed over his chest and Percy was still blinking when George finally came around the doorway.

“Percy,” he said, gratitude and some anger mixed in his voice and Neville slid his eyes over to him before focusing back on Percy, who winced and then composed his face.

“Well it's good to see you haven't crawled into a hole and expired there,” Percy said and George stepped forward, like he was going to slam the door in his face. Neville stepped back to be out of the line of fire between them.

“Do you have a point in coming?” George asked and Percy grabbed his arm and dragged him out the door.

“Sorry, Longbottom, I need to borrow him,” he said and Neville almost followed anyway. Instead he sat at the table and read the same sentence of Seamus' letter over and over until George came back, slamming the door after him.

“Are you?” Neville asked, rising and George shook his head.

“Percy has always been a _prat_ ,” he growled.

But Neville noticed the next day that he pulled out some crates, and was experimenting with another sort of decoy squeaker. “People probably won't be as interested in the anti-Dark Arts line anymore,” he said, with no prompting. “I mean, people will always have a use for it, but it won't be like it was. People will want something bright again, do you think?”

“Yeah,” Neville said when he swallowed the lump in his throat.

-0-

Percy, Neville learned, had dragged George to Fred's grave and lectured him. Neville wasn't sure how that turned into Percy showing up and absconding with all of the Weasley Wizarding Wheezes account books, insisting they were a mess, but he was glad of it.

He was still kicking around, unsure what to do but at least George was starting to see a glimmer of purpose again.

One night not so many days after that, George was cooking, rolling pasta out of a muggle cook book. They had both started cooking without magic because it was long and required attention. Neville heard a crash and with instincts still born out of fear ran into the kitchen.

Instead of a disaster, he was greeted with the sight of Jenny, pink fur covered in white flour streaking across the kitchen, chattering and spreading more of the flour everywhere. Almost as covered as she was, George was chasing her and swearing, the bowl he had been using upended on the floor.

For a moment Neville just stared, and then before he realized what was happening, he was laughing, a creaky groaning sort of sound and George stopped, turning to look at him as Jenny continued to chatter at both of them.

Neville slapped a hand over his mouth, before he started to cry again instead of laugh and they stared at each other across the kitchen.

“Neville,” George said, and his lanky legs were taking him across the kitchen, scooping Neville up into his arms, as if his laughter had broken some kind of spell.

Neville still put up wards at night and slept with a wand under his bed, and George still hadn't laughed, and they both were listless and aimless but for just that moment George was kissing him, and Neville's arms were thrown around his neck and it felt like maybe, maybe they would get through it.

Even though Neville was crying when George drew back, George leaned in for another brief kiss. “That's two,” he whispered and Neville grabbed the back of his head, dragging him down for another one just so they wouldn't fall apart under the weight of what that meant.

 


	14. How to be Two, Instead of Three

They had sex against the kitchen wall, a few weeks later. Neville was pressed against the wall, his legs wrapped around George and when George sank to the ground, Neville slid down with him. He held him as George cried against his shoulder.

“It's going to be okay,” he said, stroking George's hair and didn't believe himself at all. “We're going to be okay.”

George huffed against his shoulder and just clung to his waist. “Perce is insisting we open the store again next week.”

“Next week?” Neville said weakly.

“He's saying it's time.”

“I thought you didn't get along with Percy,” Neville said after a beat. He had been terrified of Percy as a student, because Neville had been a fumbling kid who made too many mistakes for Percy to accept.

“Didn't,” George mumbled. They were still a mess with their clothes thrown around the kitchen and Neville stroked his hair. “Mostly didn't. But he's carrying around a lot of guilt and believes in tough love.”

“Do you need tough love?” Neville asked.

“Yeah,” George murmured. “At the moment I do.”

Neville wondered if that's what he needed too.

-0-

Luna knocked the next day, and Neville opened the door with Jenny purring in the crook of one arm. Her hair was twisted up behind her head but some wisps escaped and her skin had a tan Neville had never seen on her before.

“Hi,” he said.

“I'm sorry,” she said, her dreamy expression more intent than usual.

“You had plenty of obligations after the war,” he said. “Your father hadn't seen you since you were taken off the Express. You needed the time to get away and he needed the time with you.”

“I still left you,” Luna said. “I knew—”

“Luna,” Neville said and managed a smile. “Just come in. Tell me how Brazil was.”

She flickered a smile back. “We didn't find any Hacklehurts, but the wizarding community there is bright and the forests are beautiful. It was nice to wander through them, even if we didn't find the Hacklehurts. We did find some great examples of Zeglets though.”

Neville grinned as he closed the door. “What are Zeglets?” he asked.

-0-

The next week he entered the kitchen, George slumped over the table. “How's the reopening going?”

“People are as desperate as before the war, if possible,” he said. “Perce isn't—”

Neville slid into a chair across from him. “Are we ever going to just be able to say his name?”

“Not yet,” George said and Neville looked away.

“I'm going to join the aurors,” he said suddenly and George stared at him.

“What? No.”

“That's not your choice,” Neville said.

“Nev, are you crazy?” George stared at him. “You sleep with wards up on the bed! You jump at sounds and I've watched you calm yourself down enough to open the door when you hear a knock on the door.”

“Yes,” Neville agreed slowly.

“And you want to put yourself back in a situation like that?” George snapped.

“I need to do this,” Neville said.

“You're already a wreck!” George said and Neville narrowed his eyes at him.

“I'm not going to turn into Mad-Eye Moody,” Neville said.

“You sure?” George asked. “Because he started out normal too.”

“I have to do this—”

“You don't have to save the whole world,” George said. “You and Harry, you both are so—”

“Do you know when the death eaters found my parents?” Neville asked. “The last time Voldemort fell?”

George came to a grinding halt. “When—”

“It was four months after he fell,” Neville said. “There were still death eaters out there, and they're still dangerous. I can't let that happen to another kid.”

“By four months you still won't be out of training,” George said but Neville just stared at him.

“Nev, I'm just worried,” George said. “I thought after you got on the train for seventh year it would be over.”

“I just need to keep fighting,” Neville whispered. “At least for a little longer.”

-0-

Training wiped Neville out, and he collapsed into bed every night. For a while they both started cooking with magic again just so make sure they had food.

“This was your idea,” George reminded him one night when he failed the antidote test that day and felt achy all over.

“I know,” Neville said. “I stand by it.”

George almost smiled. “Do you want dinner?”

“My stomach hates me,” Neville whined.

“Massage?” George offered.

“If I throw up on you it's not my fault,” Neville said.

“We'll just put you to bed then,” George said, easing Neville up and helping him strip and fall into bed. He tucked the sheets up around Neville's chin. “Just go to sleep.”

-0-

When Neville graduated from the training program, only three months behind Harry Potter, George insisting on throwing a party.

“I thought you didn't approve,” Neville said.

“Approving isn't really the point,” George said, his hands sliding to Neville's waist. “You did something. It's worth celebrating.”

“Thank you,” Neville said, resting his head on his shoulder.

A few hours later, their friends started trickling in and Neville felt like he shouldn't have been surprised that Harry actually came early, and yet somehow he was. There were heavy shadows under his eyes and Neville refused to ask him how he enjoyed being an Auror. Ginny arrived an hour separate, her hair in one high ponytail and not looking at Harry at all.

“Are you... okay?” Neville asked hesitantly, having pulled away from Luna.

“I'm fine,” Harry insisted.

“And not dating Ginny?” Neville prodded and Harry sighed.

“No,” he said and when he didn't continue, Neville shoved a drink at him and moved across the room to Ginny, who threw her arms around him.

“I'm so proud of you,” she said.

“Really? I think George is still hoping I'll back out.”

“Well, I can't blame him,” Ginny said, putting her hands on both his shoulders and leaning back. “But I'm still proud of you. And I know why you're doing this.”

“Thanks,” he murmured and she grinned again, something sharp in her expression and wearing a short black dress. “I assume you're going to avoid it if I ask about Harry?”

“Right now I will,” she said, smile getting even sharper. “Ask me later, when no one else is around or I'm drunk.”

“Please don't get—” Neville started but she was already breezing away.

“We may have more drama than planned for,” George said, appearing at his shoulder.

Neville looked around the room where many members of the DA had come, and Jenny was sitting on top of the cupboards chirping. “Well, as long as the apartment doesn't burn down we should be good.”

Luna appeared at his elbow, watching Ginny leave. “Nev, I wanted to ask your advice. Also, you should be careful, I think your ceiling is infested with Nucksports.”

“With what?” George asked, still unused to Luna.

“I'll look into it later,” Neville said. “What did you want to ask me?”

“My father and I are still looking for a place to live. I like Hogsmeade and... there are a lot of open houses here.”

“It's nice,” Neville said quietly.

She patted his shoulder as if she understood everything he wasn't saying. “We can be neighbors,” she said and turned around, drifting off.

“Well, that will be interesting,” George said.

-0-

Halfway through the night, Ginny approached George, weaving slightly with too many drinks in her. “When are you gonna tell Mum?” she asked, leaning against the wall next to him.

“What?” George asked.

“About you and Nev,” Ginny said. “He's not in school anymore. You'll have to tell her at some point.”

George blinked. “When did you even—?”

“During the last year at Hogwarts,” Ginny said.

“We're still,” George started and ran a hand through his hair. “Figuring things out. I'm assuming you know about—”

“You're still figuring out how to be two, instead of three,” Ginny finished for him.

“Yeah.”

“Just don't take too long,” she said. “She'll want to know. And smother both of you.”

“Neither of us are ready for that,” George said and she considered him.

“I don't think any of us are ready,” she said and her eyes drifted across to where Harry was squashed between Ron and Hermione. “To survive past the war.”

-0-

The next morning, a little hung over, George opened the door to find Lavender standing on the other side, her shoulders hunched and wearing an overlarge hoodie.

“Is,” she shifted. “Neville in?”

“Um,” George said. “He's at work. You can come in though, if you want to wait.”

She shifted, hands shoved deep into her pockets. “I don't want to impose,” she murmured.

“Come in,” George insisted again, having taken a day to work by Owl if anyone needed him. “Can I get you anything?”

“No,” she said, sitting on the edge of a seat and watched George intently enough it made him uncomfortable. “Have you and Neville lived together for long?” she asked.

“Um,” George blinked over at her. “Since the end of the war.”

She considered and then nodded, curling up in the chair and staying there until Neville came home. He dropped his bag at the door and had staggered to collapse against George's chest before he registered someone else was there.

“Oh, Lav,” he said, and blushed because he was pressed against George's chest. “Um. I'm glad you came.”

She was watching them from underneath the depths of the hoodie and smiled. It dropped almost instantly when she seemed to remember what she came for. “I'm sorry,” she said. “I know you're busy and all. I just have no other ideas where to go.”

Neville blinked. “What's wrong, Lav?”

“I'm out of money and no one else,” she looked down. “Will have me. Or hire me.”

“But,” Neville frowned. “Shouldn't those laws about werewolves—first of all why are they still on the books? Secondly, you're not even one.”

“Unlike Bill Weasley I didn't already have a stable job,” Lavender said. “And after Greyback and his ilk no one wants to remove those laws.”

“You can stay as long as you need,” Neville said and George stared at him.

-0-

Luna came over that night, carrying a huge plate stuffed with tarts and pastries. “I figured I would help with dinner,” she said and Lavender shrunk back automatically.

“Thank you,” Neville said and George stared at the assorted pastries and went back to cooking.

“Hello, Lavender,” Luna said brightly.

“Hi,” she said and Neville wanted to demand everywhere she had been before coming to him and hating that he was the last resort.

“Have you heard about Dean?” Luna asked, sliding the plate onto the middle of the table.

“No,” Neville said, and realized he had once again automatically set another place at the table. He stared for a second at the plate before swiping it back off the table and putting it back in the cupboard.

“Ollivander has taken him on as an apprentice,” Luna said. “Between his imprisonment and Gregorovitch's death, he decided that it's high time he passed it along. He didn't spend as much time with Dean of course, but he's an artist and that's very important for wand making.”

“That,” Neville struggled. “Is great. For Dean, I mean. I assume he wants to do it?”

Luna nodded happily. “And dad hates living in town so he thinks he's going to move back out to the country. But despite the strange housing rules about plants in the walkway outside the building, I quite like it here. I'll probably need a roommate.” And almost seeming as if she hadn't spared a thought for it, she turned to Lavender. “Say, do you need a roommate too?”

-0-

A few weeks later, Neville was cooking because he had a day off and needed the distraction from the new sets of nightmares he had. He reminded himself again this had been his choice, but just as much as Harry and Ron looked more exhausted by the day, he felt the same horrible pressure he had hoped to escape with at the end of seventh year.

“Percy is a paperwork demon,” George said, entering the kitchen. “And making sure we have all the regulations right. How the hell did I end up with him as a partner anyway?”

“He offered?” Neville said.

“We've been working on a new line of products,” George said, still shaking his head at himself. “It Fred's idea originally, but I think we can,” and he came to a stretching halt, realizing he had almost said Fred's name and moved on as if that meant nothing.

Neville dropped the spoon he was using to stir and started moving quickly to wrap his arms around George. “Is it ever going to stop hurting?” George asked.

“No,” Neville said.

-0-

That night, Neville had George pressed against the bed, the wards already up, running his hands down George's chest and listening to him moan. At first he didn't quite process the touch, despite the fact it was high on his back and George's hands were both accounted for on his waist.

Through the haze it resolved into a touch like fingertips at the top of his spine. He froze before pulling back.

“No,” he said as firmly as he could and George stared back up at him.

“I thought—”

“No,” Neville repeated, starting to shake. “I never want you to—he's gone. I have you. I can't ever forget that so trying to pretend it just—” He hung his head and George reached up, running his thumbs over the faint scars still on Neville's cheeks.

“Okay,” he said, face twisted up in sorrow. “Okay.”


	15. You Could Just Say

Neville quit the Aurors two years to the month he joined them. They threw him a going away party and Harry didn't get drunk but he certainly drank _too much_ while there.

After having made sure he got home alright, Neville showed up at his apartment the next morning. “Are you sure this is such a good idea for you either?” he asked, when Harry opened the door, his hair still a wild mess and bleary eyed.

“What, having an apartment?” he asked. “Opening the door?”

“Being an Auror,” Neville said, arms crossed over his chest and Harry swore, pushing the door open further.

“This is not a hallway conversation, get in here.”

It was clear he still wasn't used to Ron being gone from the apartment they'd rented together after the war. Things were still haphazard and limited to about half of the apartment. Neville said nothing about him getting another roommate or finally moving into the house he actually owned.

Harry started to move some things off the coffee table before giving the mess up as a lost cause and turning back to Neville. “Look, I know you never planned on this being a full time thing—”

“But why are you?” Neville asked. “You're not happy. Ginny left you two years ago precisely because of this and you've not had another steady—well, anything, since then.”

“Nev, I don't know what else to do,” Harry said.

“You don't have to keep fighting,” Neville said. “You can even save people in other ways, if you have to keep doing that.”

“Yeah?” Harry stared at him. “How do you go about saving people other ways?”

“I'm still working on that one myself,” Neville admitted. “Look, I'm not ordering you to quit because I can't and that wouldn't be fair. But this isn't good for you and you know it. You're going to kill yourself. And it wouldn't hurt you to have Ginny over for coffee or something.”

“She—”

“Probably isn't going to date you again,” Neville said. “But you could try being friends.”

Harry considered him. “When did you get smart about these things?”

“It's the quiet ones,” Neville shrugged his shoulder slightly. “We listen and watch and eventually start doling out advice.”

-0-

It was another few months before Neville went to sleep without putting the wards up. George had stopped grumbling about them early into Auror training, but Neville had watched him sigh and shake his head from time to time.

He woke up in the middle of the night, panicked, and woke up George as he raised the wards. As he shook, George wrapped his arms around his waist and put his head in his lap and held on.

-0-

“I'm not going to tell you I'm pleased,” George said, his hands shoved into his pockets as they walked to the graveyard. “Because you already know that.”

“Yeah,” Neville snorted, his own hands buried in his own pockets.

George tilted his head back, watching the snow starting to fall. “Hey, do you remember our first kiss?”

“Yeah,” Neville said, tipping his own head back. “It was in the snow then too.”

“I shoved snow down Fred's coat,” George said and Neville hesitated before tugging his hand out of the warm pocket, sliding it into George's hand as they came to a stop in front of Fred's grave. They stood there for a long time, letting the snow fall and holding hands.

“I hate this,” George said softly.

“I know,” Neville said, squeezing his hand and using his other hand to create a wreath of violets and tiger-lilies, not letting go of George's hand when he bent down to place it on top of Fred's grave.

-0-

Neville stamped snow off his boots as he entered the Three Broomsticks, nodding happily to Hannah behind the bar before heading for the table that Harry, Ron and Hermione had already taken.

“We're so happy for you Neville,” Hermione said and Neville had to smile, because the three of them were still inseparable.

“Thanks,” Neville said, because Professor Sprout had written him during the Christmas holidays asking him if he wanted to start an apprenticeship to take her place. It was a several year program, especially since he had never taken his NEWTS. After the fiasco of seventh year he had been unable to stomach going back. Most of his class had felt the same, but he knew Hermione went back along with several of the other girls in their class.

The entire boy's dormitory would have been empty in Gryffindor tower.

“It suits you,” Harry said, and there were still the dark circles under his eyes and stress lines on his face but he managed to smile.

“Thanks,” Neville mumbled, and despite how the idea made his chest swell at the same time it terrified him, he already wanted the subject off him. “I hear some other congratulations are in order?” he said and Hermione blushed, ducking her chin as Ron slung an arm over her shoulder.

“Yes, well,” she coughed. “Getting a career though!”

“Getting engaged is just as big of a deal,” Neville shot back and Hermione couldn't stop the smile stealing over her face.

“Say, Nev,” Ron said, and Neville caught George's eye as he entered before he strolled over to the bar, leaning his lanky frame against it and grinning at Hannah. “From the position of a bloke about to get married, when are you going to find someone?”

“Excuse me?” Neville asked, because he had forgotten somewhere along the line that despite living together for over two years, they still hadn't told anyone who didn't figure it out themselves.

“Yeah,” Hermione said and Harry started to look a shade uncomfortable. “You have a lot going for you Nev! You could easily find someone. What about Hannah?” and she nodded to where George had made Hannah laugh.

“Um,” Neville managed.

“There's always—”

“No,” Neville said and floundered again because Hermione and Ron were practically glowing and somehow Neville had forgotten they had transitioned so easily to living together they hadn't really bothered to tell anyone. “It's just—”

“You have to be more assertive,” Hermione said.

“Maybe that's not,” Harry started, finally speaking up for Neville who had turned bright red over the course of the conversation but George slid into the seat next to Neville, handing him a butterbeer.

“What's up?” he asked, knocking his shoulder against Neville and he was suddenly glad he was already so red that he couldn't blush anymore.

“It,” Neville squeaked.

“We're just saying Neville should find someone,” Hermione said. “I know it's something of a cliche that once you get engaged you want to pair everyone else off, but I think someone would be good for him.”

“I don't think I've ever heard of you dating,” Ron said and George was staring at both of them. “And George, you're his room mate, right? Have you seen any of his lovers or girlfriends?”

“You think Neville should date,” George said, tone totally flat.

“It's,” Neville started and George shook his head.

“Are you all daft?” George demanded and Neville half knew it was coming before George's hand went to his chin and kissed him. Neville melted before he remembered where they were, hands going to George's chest and pushing.

“Public!” he hissed, and George grinned. Unable to bear looking at the others, Neville gave up and buried his face in George's chest. “You could just _say_.”

“Oh yeah,” George said and Neville knew from his voice he wasn't even remotely sorry. “Nev and I are dating. Have been dating.”

“Huh,” Harry managed first and when Neville sneaked a look, Hermione's jaw had dropped and Ron looked somewhat bemused.

“Does mum know?” he asked and Neville could almost feel the blood drain from George's face.

-0-

“I'm shocked we hadn't ended up here earlier,” Neville said as he and George stood on the Burrow's doorstep. He wanted to reach out and take George's hand and didn't dare.

“Yeah,” George agreed. “Nev, you know it wasn't—I just, with us, and Fred, and I liked having you to myself—”

“I wasn't really telling anyone either,” Neville said and George sighed before finally knocking on the door.

Molly was there in an instant, like she had been expecting the knock since they apperated into the Burrow's boundaries. “George!” she said, throwing her arms around him and then pausing to see Neville standing there, shoulders hunched like he still wanted to sneak away. “Neville,” she said, still bright but obviously confused.

“Mum,” George sighed. “I'd like you to meet my boyfriend.”

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped and Neville almost turned and ran.

-0-

Molly bustled around, trying to fuss over Neville on the couch until he couldn't stand it anymore, leaving George talking to his father and retreating to the kitchen.

“Are you alright, dear?” she asked, following him.

“Yeah,” he said, and sat at the kitchen table, noticing all the chairs still clustered there, even though the kids had moved out. It had just been too much with her fussing and Arthur's confused acceptance.

She started moving around the kitchen, cooking dinner and Neville noticed she was cooking for four or more and realized she was hoping rather than expecting them to stay.

“I'm just surprised is all,” she said. “I wasn't—I mean, it's not a problem, not at all, but I wasn't expecting that George, well,” and she had talked herself to a standstill and started another track. “You didn't tell me how long you've been dating George.”

Neville opened his mouth, convinced himself not to say it, and ended up blurting out anyway, “And Fred.” Because there was so much guilt swirling around inside him, and he needed her to know that her other son had been just as loved before his death as George was now.

She froze, turning to stare at him. “What?”

“And Fred,” Neville said faintly. “I dated George and Fred.”

There was something moving behind her eyes and Neville felt sure she was trying to compute if he went from one of her sons to the other, or if it had started while he had been underage.

“Together,” he added. “During, uh, my fifth year.”

“But,” she sat down across from him. “You were—”

“I know,” he said, burying his face in his arms on the table. “I'm sorry. I just—I couldn't—not tell you. Not when I loved them both so much, and when—I just thought, you should know. That Fred was,” and he stopped.

“But that makes it—”

“Almost five years,” Neville told the wood grain of the table and he could feel her offense starting. “I'm sorry, that's why I'm so sorry.” His hands came up to tangle in the hair at the base of his neck. “During school, we couldn't—and later, after the battle I thought, for a long time, it wouldn't—and then it just seemed easier to keep going like we were, I'm sorry we didn't tell you, or anyone else, you didn't deserve that.”

“Neville,” she said softly, and reached forward, pulling his hands down and he forced himself to look up at her. There were tears at the corners of her eyes and Neville wanted to slink away. “It's okay,” she said, though clearly she was not. “I wish you had told me. But what you went through—”

“I love George,” Neville whispered. “I love him so much. I loved Fred so much. I want to do right by your son, Mrs. Weasley.”

“You are,” she said and stood up, bustling around the kitchen to distract herself from crying.

When Neville looked over, George was standing in the doorway with an expression of infinite care on his face and Neville rose, not quite stumbling over to him. George drew him against his chest, tucking his chin on top of Neville's head. “Hey, Nev.”

“I'm sorry,” Neville whispered.

“Don't be,” George said into his hair and the way the sounds stopped, Neville could imagine Molly staring at them. “Though, mum, I am sorry it took this long.”

Neville heard a sniff. “I understand, dear,” she said, voice shaky and they did end up staying until dinner.

-0-

Molly adjusted her hat, and adjusted it again before she followed the nurse into the permanent ward. She'd almost walked out several times, like she had countless times before. Instead of running she took another deep breath and sat down by Alice, who was looking distant and humming.

“Hello, Alice,” Molly said, because Frank was asleep on a nearby bed and Molly could only face one of them at a time.

Alice tilted her head and continued tearing apart the blanket on her lap.

“I know it's been a long time,” Molly said, even though she knew Alice wasn't listening and didn't understand. “I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry I've never managed to come here regularly. I'm sorry I didn't look after Neville like I should have. It just hurt so much, seeing him and knowing you weren't there anymore.”

Alice seemed to sense some of her pain and patted her hand before taking the blanket apart thread by thread.

“I just wanted you to know,” Molly said. “That Neville is an amazing boy. He kept fighting against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, like you would have. He wasn't even in the Order, he just helped organize another one, to fit the needs he and the other students had. He stood up to him, face to face and drew the sword of Gryfindor. He was so brave,” and she choked on her tears. “Like you and Frank always were too.”

“You'd be so proud of him. So proud. He was so brave but he's kind, and he's studying Herbology now because he loves it. He was an Auror too, for a while, to make sure others were safe. He did it to protect people and now he's doing what he loves, even if others might not find it so glamorous. But you'd be proud, so proud.”

“And,” she took one of Alice's hands, and Alice cocked her head to one side, considering her. “I want you to know. That my boy George, you remember him? Of course you did, Fred and George were already terrors when they were two and three. You should have seen what they became later when they would talk and think for themselves,” she bowed her head again, swallowing back tears. “And he and Neville are together. And George loves him so much. They're so lovely together. And George is going to watch out for him, and I am too.”

Taking a deep breath she kept going. “I should have looked out for him from the start. I should have taken that boy and helped raise him. Because he was yours and it hurt me too much to see him and know you were gone. I was wrong for both of us.”

And Alice pulled her hand out from underneath Molly's, laying it on her cheek instead and Molly tried to swallow back tears again, remembering the years when things were dark and Alice had been her friend.

Alice had been in the Order, and Molly had not the first time. But they still had spent many hours together, and Molly had never forgotten the night they had thrown a party for Alice and Frank and their coming child. Alice had looked around, her hands on her belly as if expecting an attack.

“Molly,” she asked toward the end of the night, when Frank and Arthur were singing together, half drunk. “Molly, how do you do it?”

“Do what?” Molly asked, having watched Fred and George run wild all night and exhausted from trying to keep them in order. Young Percy had tried to help and had more often than not been tripped for his troubles.

“Have children,” Alice said, and Molly shook her head.

“Because I want children,” she said, and Alice was looking around again, wary as if expecting attack. “When Arthur asked if it was wise to keep bringing children into this world, considering, I told him he would have to find a new wife because I would certainly be looking for a new husband. This is the family I always wanted.” And baby Ron was with his great-aunt that night and she wished she had left Fred and George there as well. “Nothing was going to keep me from my dreams of it.”

Alice swallowed, looking down. “I'm scared for him,” she said. “I'm scared for all of us. I didn't want to bring a child into this life but now,” and she smiled, a secret smile between her and the baby that was within her. “I already love him so much, and I'm scared but so happy. How do you do it?”

“Because I love them,” Molly said and Alice had smiled again, gripping her hand.

Now Alice was watching her blankly and Molly couldn't stop the tears. She covered Alice's hand on her cheek with one of her's. “I'm going to look after him now,” she promised. “Like I always should have.”

When she left, Alice pressed a faded newspaper clipping into her hand. It was nothing, not even a full article, but Molly tucked it carefully into her coat pocket.

-0-

Neville woke up on Christmas morning to find the bed empty beside him. For a while he just laid in bed, before forcing himself up and into the kitchen where they had a tiny tree set up. “Good morning,” he said, rubbing his eyes and George looked up from where he had been considering five packages that were wrapped exactly the same, all with Neville's name on them.

“G'morning,” he said, distractedly pulling Neville against his side and kissing his cheek.

“What's this?” Neville asked.

“I suspect, but I don't know,” George said. “I'll make the coffee if you want to start opening them.”

Neville glanced under the tree, seeing the assortment of gifts he had actually expected before picking up one of the soft packages, opening it to find a red and gold sweater with a large N in the center.

“It is a Weasley sweater,” George said behind him and Neville jumped. He had seen all the Weasley's getting them for Christmas. “She made you,” and he looked at the other packages.

“Five?” Neville demanded. “She made me five?”

“For the years she missed,” George said, wrapping his arms around Neville's waist from behind and burying his face in his shoulder. Neville opened the next one, finding a green sweater with a gold Auror symbol, and a brown and grey one with green plants stitched all along the hems.

“That,” Neville floundered. “She,” and George kissed his shoulder before standing back. Neville took a shuddering breath. “When are we expected there?”

“In three hours,” George said.

“I'm meeting my gran in another at St. Mungo's,” Neville said and tilted his head back to look at George. “Do you—do you want to come?”

“I'll come for you,” George said, kissing him briefly and handing a coffee cup. “That still gives us time to open the rest of this and get dressed.”

“Thank you,” Neville said, hands twisted up in the sweaters.

 


	16. Want to Maybe Try That Again?

Neville turned the tea cup in front of him around again and waited.

Sitting across from him, Augusta had her fingers wrapped around her own teacup and there was something almost hurt in her stern face. “You already think I disapprove.”

“Don't you?” Neville asked and almost winced. “I'm sorry, I mean—you've never approved of our friendship necessarily. All that talk about shop keepers and respect—”

His gran sighed, and Neville almost just slinked away, even though that was unfair to all of them. “That's very different from knowing you are in a relationship with him,” she said. “Besides, things have changed since you were in school.”

Neville blinked at her.

“You followed in your parent's footsteps because you thought it was the right thing to do, and then you quit to follow your passions for exactly the same reason,” Augusta said. “Of course I'm proud of you.”

“We can't have kids,” Neville said. “The line—”

Augusta snorted. “I hate to say that doesn't matter—but it doesn't.”

“Oh,” Neville said and for the first time since he sat down across from his gran and said he was in a relationship with George Weasley, he smiled. “Thank you.”

“Don't thank me,” she said, taking a sip from her tea. “Just be happy.”

And Neville wished he wasn't so surprised to hear those words, but somehow even after the last few years he still was. “Thank you.”

-0-

“Oh Merlin's hat, you finally made it official,” Ginny said, throwing her arms around Neville's neck when she stepped in the door. “About time.”

“I was at Christmas,” Neville protested.

“That's different,” Ginny said because Hermione and Seamus had insisted on throwing them a “Finally being a couple” party in Seamus' words. Neville's protest they had been for a long time didn't seem to phase him and Dean had painted a banner with exactly those words.

It hung in their living room and Neville had just stood with his head in his hands in front of it for fifteen minutes before the first guests started to arrive.

Their group had started throwing parties for any reason in the last several years. Their lives had flung them far away and they needed the excuse to come back together. Frankly, they also just seemed to like having any excuse to celebrate.

“This is you telling all your friends and not by accident,” Ginny added, still hanging off him by his neck and George was yelling something at Lee, who was standing on the table giving some sort of toast. He had cut all his dreadlocks off after the war and dressed in almost conservative clothes until you realized the riot of mismatched patterns on everything.

“Okay, fine,” Neville said, and got distracted seeing Luna and Lavender holding hands as Luna chattered at Dean who looked happily fond of her. Neville blinked and Harry came in the door, coming to a stop when he saw Ginny standing right there with Neville. “So I take it that go out for coffee advice went no where?” Neville asked as Ginny slid her arms down from around his neck.

“Apparently not,” Harry muttered. Neville wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose and kept his hands at his side through sheer force of will.

“Been a while now,” Ginny said.

“Yeah,” Harry agreed and they were shifting awkwardly around each other, not quite able to meet the other's eyes.

“How's saving the world and everyone in it going?” Ginny asked.

“Oh, you know,” Harry said. “Good.”

“At the expense of your health and happiness,” Ginny said, and there was ice in her voice.

“So the usual,” Harry said softly and even admitting that much felt like a huge step forward to Neville. Ginny seemed to agree because she almost smiled before jerking her head backwards.

“Wanna just get a drink and see where that goes?”

“Alcohol should not be a crutch,” Harry said, as if someone had explained that to him several times lately. Ginny blinked, as if noticing it too but then Harry smiled. “But in this case I think that's a solid plan.”

“Right,” Ginny said, a bit more warily but they wandered off together and Neville turned back around in time to hear Lee roar “And to love!”

“How about to you getting down off my table?” George demanded.

“I like your table,” Lee declared. “I think I'll keep it.”

“Like hell you will,” George said. “That's my table and you're not walking out of here with it, now get down so we can put the food there.”

“Ah, food,” Lee said, jumping back down and going almost instantly to Neville, pulling him into a back slapping hug that made Neville squeak. “You lucky bastard, you managed to make it, didn't you?”

Neville blinked, because April was still the hardest month, and he could cast a weak patronus but George couldn't, and some days it still felt like they were smothered by the ghost of someone not there. “Yeah,” he said, and grinned. “Think we did.”

“Thanks for not breaking any hearts,” Lee said and wandered off, leaving Seamus to start making the toasts as Percy tried to get food out to the table without any of it falling to the ground.

-0-

“Hey,” George said later, when there were still abandoned bottles littered all over the floor and Neville was laying on top of him on the couch.

“I want new friends,” Neville said into his chest.

“Like hell you do,” George said with a laugh.

“I have to wake up early tomorrow and go up to Hogwarts,” Neville whined.

“What? It's your day off,” George said.

“Plants wait for no one and the Mandrakes are breeding,” Neville groaned.

George laughed and Neville could feel it with his whole body. He clung tighter, his ear pressed against George's chest. “Well, that's what you get for loving those plants, I guess.”

“I happen to quite like herbology,” Neville said, forcing his tone to be prim and George laughed again. Neville could hear Jenny rooting around underneath the couch for dust bunnies.

“Hey, George,” he started softly.

“Yeah?”

“Are you... you know, not happy but—”

“I love you, Nev,” George said, running his fingers up and down his spine. “It's hard. The shop is hard because we made all those products together. Sometimes this is hard. But I'm... I'm content. We made something, you know?”

“Yeah,” Neville said.

“Mom's been talking to me lately about the clock,” George said when they had lapsed into silence.

“The one with all your family?” Neville asked.

“Yeah,” George said. “When you get married you know, it's binding, so Fleur's on the clock.”

Neville tensed as he started to realize what George was saying.

“I mean, not that we could get married because the laws—”

“Do you,” Neville started, sitting up on George's lap, accidentally shoving his hand into his stomach and George made a sound of protest. “Want to maybe try that again?”

George blinked before processing what he had said and how and he laughed, covering his face with his hands. “Oh no that was awful.”

“As far as proposals go—”

“I was going to say some sort of bonding ceremony! But that's just as bad.”

“Yeah,” Neville agreed.

George's hands lowered and he watched Neville who started to blush under the scrutiny. “I was—”

“Ask me again in a couple years,” Neville said. “Also, when I haven't had anything to drink and will deal with Mandrakes hung over the next morning.”

George gave up, throwing his head back on the couch and howling with laughter.

“Yeah, that's already making my head hurt,” Neville said and George pushed himself up, wrapping his arms around Neville's waist and kissing him lightly.

“Then we should get you to bed,” he decided and they somehow fumbled off the couch and into bed, falling down in a tangle of limbs that they didn't bother to untangle.

-0-

Professor Sprout retired and Neville took her place three school years after he started his apprentice ship with her. It was also the seventh anniversary of the opening of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and though it felt still like a punch to think about that, it was enough reason to throw a party on it's own. At least Percy insisted it was so.

Ginny and Harry showed up for the party together and Harry drank a lot of Butterbeer and told Neville could the sea side cottage he'd bought with his money. He'd finally quit the Auror's himself and was writing children's fiction at the moment that he admitted got darker than he wanted it to all too easily. “I'm still trying to figure out what to do,” he admitted.

“You didn't have a retirement party,” Neville said, a little offended.

“Are you kidding me?” Harry asked and Neville almost smiled.

“You didn't want one?” he asked innocently and Harry snorted at him in disbelief.

“I just needed to get out of there,” he admitted and Ron and Hermione entered, Ron with his arm around her waist and the three of them clustered together almost instantly.

“Just like old times, right?” Ginny said, appearing at Neville's elbow.

“At least you two are talking now,” Neville said and she shrugged.

“Yeah, well, it's been better since he left,” she said. “And he's dating.”

“Really?” Neville asked. “Who?”

“You would not believe me if I told you,” she said and flounced away.

“That's not fair!” Neville yelled after her and almost walked into a wall when Blaise Zabini showed up to his party and Harr'ys entire face lit up. “That was definitely not fair,” he muttered when he found Ginny again and she had to hold off him as she laughed. “I hate you so much,” Neville added.

“They're a really pretty couple,” Ginny said. “I mean, at least Zabini is. Harry might be a lost cause, I don't know.”

“Why is there a Slytherin at my party?” George asked.

“Be nice, Draco might come to the next one,” Ginny said and flounced away.

“Okay, I've missed something,” George said and before Neville could say anything, something exploded in the kitchen.

“Is it my turn or yours?” George asked as they both stared at the smoke.

“Um, yours,” Nevile said and George muttered something under his breath, stomping over to scold Luna who smiled at him the whole time, explaining she was trying to make soup.

“With what?” George asked and Neville went and fished Jenny out from underneath the kitchen chair she'd taken refugee under.

-0-

George collapsed on the chair and Neville just sat down on the ground, his back pressed against George's legs. “That was fun?” George offered.

“Let's stop celebrating things,” Neville muttered and he felt George's fingers card through his hair.

“Nah,” George said softly. “It's better than doing it the other way.”

Neville paused for a long moment, nodding slightly.

“Say, Nev,” George said when Neville had almost fallen asleep with his fingers in his hair. “I think I'd like to try that again.”

“Why is it always after parties?” Neville asked, not opening his eyes.

“I don't know,” George laughed like he really did know. “Anyway. Neville—”

“Yes.”

“You didn't even let me ask!”

“Yes,” Neville said and kept grinning with his eyes closed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this story almost two years ago (Three days off from exactly two years damn). I'm not sure it's at all been what I expected, but it was fun to write and holds a special place in my heart for sure. 
> 
> (Everyone else ship the thing with meeee) 
> 
> Cheers and thank you everyone for sticking with just over 100 pages of this.


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